I used regular cottage cheese for the base, but you can process it down to make it creamy, or even process with some feta to add a really delicious creamy, salty base.
And, if you dont like bad onion breath, this simple hack of soaking the onion in water for 15 minutes will do the trick.
.
Here is how to make it:
Start by finely dicing 1 small red onion. Add it to a bowl and cover with cold water for 15 minutes. Set aside while you work the rest.
.
Finely dice 4 Persian cucumbers. Cut them in 3s or 4s strips length wise, then cut them into another 3 or 4 strips, then stack them, turn them, and dice them into small cubes. Reference the video.
.
Next, grab a handful of tomatoes. I just quartered them, but you can dice them, too.
.
Finally, grab a small handful of fresh dish and fresh mint and finely chop them. These add a ton of flavor.
Add diced cucumbers, tomatos, herbs, and onions to a large salad bowl. Add the zest of a full lemon, the juice of half a lemon, 2.5 tablespoons of a GOOD olive oil, 1 tbsp sumac, a pinch of salt.
Give everything a really good mix, taste, then adjust to taste. I almost always add a bit more salt, but you do you!
.
Spread some cottage cheese on the base of a board or plate (you can process it, too), top with the salad, crumble up some feta on top, then add a dusting of sumac, Aleppo pepper, and some more fresh herbs!