Greek Salad

When I think of Greek Salad, I think of all the wonderful memories of our spring trip to Greece and the Greek Islands.  Every stop was packed with ancient, unbelievable, and amazing sights as well as wonderful food!  When I think of the food in Greece the words that come to mind are fresh, colorful and delicious.

That is why I couldn't resist making Greek Salad for this month's Secret Recipe Club!  I got the inspiration from Maria at Close to Home.  Maria is one busy lady.  Not only does she have recipes to share but she also posts crafts, travel, a multitude of giveaways, and she reviews just about everything....and let's not forget our four footed friends.  They have a place on Maria's blog also. This is one very busy lady.

I must admit that I was tempted by a couple of other recipes...Blueberry Muffins being one of the choices; but, I decided to pass on the calories and go healthy!  I know I will circle back around to make these as I have bags of blueberries in the freezer!  So much for being good...

Greek Salad doesn't really require a recipe.  It is comprised of a few basic ingredients:  tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, kalamata olives and feta cheese.  I had just gotten some lovely tomatoes and peppers in our veggie box so I went from there...

For the dressing, I opted to make a few changes.  I was making the salad for two people and didn't need as much as Maria's recipe made.  I also used fresh garlic and adjusted the seasonings to our preferences.

Greek Salad

1/2 English cucumber, sliced and cut into quarters
2 medium tomatoes cut into chunks
1/2 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 red pepper, large dice
1/4 yellow pepper, large dice
1/2 purple onion, sliced and cut into quarter rounds
4 oz quality Greek feta cheese, cut into squares or crumbled
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, cut in half
1 Tbsp chopped parsley (optional garnish)

On a platter arrange the ingredients, except for the cheese, olives and dressing.  If you prefer, place all ingredients in a large salad bowl and toss carefully.

Pour 1/2 cup Greek Salad Dressing over the vegetables, tossing carefully to moisten.

Add the feta cheese and olives to the top of the salad and sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.

Greek Salad Dressing

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

In a small bowl, add all ingredients and whisk well. to make an emulsion.  Set aside for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.  Remix and pour the dressing over the vegetables.  Add the feta and olives and toss lightly.  (Add additional dressing if needed.)   Set aside for about thirty minutes to allow the flavors to blend.  Serve at room temperature.

Store remaining dressing, covered at room temperature.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

The food that we ate on the trip was delicious...so naturally, I needed a few new cookbooks.  One that I find fun to read and cook  from is The Parthenon Cookbook by Camille Stagg.  It is from a Greek restaurant in Chicago...I would like to try it someday...

From Athens....

To Rhodes...

To Santorini and all of the places in between it was a trip of stunning views and amazing food!