Day 3 of Tag Sale Week and after several hot sweaty trips to the town dump to get rid of things we cannot imagine could possibly be anyone else's treasure, it's wonderful to come home to this light, cool, refreshing and amazingly tasty Grilled Pita Bread Salad! Easy to make and easy to enjoy!

I love having ready-made healthy food just waiting in the fridge for us to come home and dig into. Keeps us from reaching for the high-calorie, less-than-healthy stuff that no matter what, always seems to be around! And this salad only takes minutes to prepare and is great as a light lunch or as a substantial snack. And with veggies at their peak right now, I can't think of a better time to make this!

You start by chopping up all the vegetables and tossing them into a large bowl. I'm showing you the varieties I used here but you could easily sub in whatever you like or have handy.

Then you toss those gorgeously colored veggies with a lemony vinaigrette dressing.

What sets this salad apart from an ordinary vegetable salad is the grilled pita bread which takes only moments to achieve on the grill. The charred crispy smokiness of the pita really adds a new level of flavor and texture here. And after a few hours of mingling with the other veggies and vinaigrette, the little pieces get wonderfully soggy, chewy and flavorful.

If you're not allergic to dairy or vegan, you can also toss some cubed feta cheese into the salad. It adds a salty creaminess that I love, but the salad is great without it too!

Ok, gotta go and clean out another closet! Will it ever end?!!!

Grilled Pita Bread Salad

Makes 4-6 servings depending on whether you're serving this as a main course or side dish

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the salad

• 2 large pita breads (you can use white, wholewheat or any kind you like)

• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half

• 1 large cucumber, diced

• 4-5 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

• 4 scallions, chopped I use the white and green parts)

• 1 medium red onion, chopped

• 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped

• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped

• Feta cheese, cubed (optional)

For the dressing

• 4 ounces olive oil

• Zest of half a lemon

• 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• salt and pepper to taste

The Recipe

1.  Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, scallions, red onion and both peppers in a large bowl and toss gently.

2.  In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice. Season well with salt and pepper and pour over the vegetables in the bowl.

3.  Preheat the grill. When ready, lay the pita bread down and keep a close eye on them. In a minute or two, you should see them start to get brown and charred. Turn with tongs and cook another minute or so on the other side. Remove from grill and when cool enough to handle, cut them into small pieces and add them into the salad. Toss gently. (You can also do the grilling of the pitas under your broiler if you don't have or want to grill them on the barbecue--just watch closely so they don't get too burned.) If using the feta, add it now and gently toss.

4.  Serve salad immediately or chill in an airtight container and serve later. Salad lasts 3-4 days, kept chilled.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from Delia Smith's Summer Collection by Delia Smith. I really played around with this a lot. Cut the lettuce and mint, subbed cherry tomatoes for beefsteak, doubled the amount of peppers, and toyed with the proportions in the vinaigrette.