Turkish Chopped Salad

A delicious salad my family enjoys to eat on its own or as an accompaniment to mix into rice dishes such as Iranian Chicken With Rice (Morgh Polou) or Timman Z'affaran (Iraqi Saffron Rice With Meat). Originally posted fro Ramadan Tag, a variation on a dish from Gaziantep, Turkey, which is sometimes called Women's Salad! Modified from a recipe by Musa Dagdeviren on http://www.foodandwine.com.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 6

Ingredients

• 3  medium garlic cloves, minced (I use less per preference here)
• 2  tablespoons  unrefined extra virgin olive oil
• 2  teaspoons pomegranate molasses (I prefer Cortas brand, found in Middle Eastern shops)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used cayenne powder instead, to taste)
•  sea salt
• 2  large tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2  medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and and cut into 1/4-inch dice (I use baby cucumbers)
• 2  scallions, minced
• 1  bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice (your choice of colour)
• 1  small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (or sweet onion)
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped mint leaf

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, olive oil, molasses and crushed red pepper. Season the dressing with salt.
2. In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with the cucumbers, scallions, green bell pepper, onion, parsley and mint.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.
4. Serve at once or refrigerate for up to 1 hour.
5. Enjoy!