greek salad

by Stacy

Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling well enough to party yesterday, so my husband went out alone, sans planned salad. (Happy birthday, Sarah!)

The upside was that we had salads before dinner tonight, and they were delicious. Even my veggie-hating husband gobbled his up and scraped his bowl clean. Yum.

fresh greek salad

Greek salads vary from place to place, but always seem to contain tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and olives, topped with feta cheese. Vinegar and olive oil with some seasoning rounds out the dressing. The amounts are, of course, flexible, and just to give you an idea of what I used.

Delicious Greek Salad
Serves 2 as a main course, or 4 as a side/starter

2 cups salad greens (I used lettuce mix from the garden)
1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 cup tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
handful kalamata olives
feta cheese

Dressing:
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

  • Divide lettuce among bowls. Mix cucumber, onion, and tomato. Scoop over lettuce.
  • In a jar, combine dressing ingredients in order through vinegar. Swirl until combined. Add oil and shake until emulsified. Pour over salads.
  • Garnish with a generous amount of feta cheese and as many olives as you want.

greek salad

The tomatoes, onion, and cucumbers were from yesterday’s farmer’s market. The lettuce was from the patio. The feta was from the grocery store, but it’s from a cheese company in Wisconsin. Lovely cheese – strong, salty flavor to balance the crisp and fresh elements of the salad. The dressing has some nice zing from the vinegar, but enough oil to mellow it out.

My favorite part is that I have just enough left over for lunch tomorrow! This salad was my staple food in Greece. Our guidebook cheerfully chirped that “vegetarians would be pleasantly surprised at the number of meat-free options.” Lots of them. Like fried cheese, Greek salad, and the occasional pizza or pasta. Good thing I like this salad. And olives.

greek salad with olive

But I’m still not sick of them! Please use beautiful ripe tomatoes for this. Don’t waste it on insipid pink mush tomatoes or you will be disappointed. It’s worth it, I promise!

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Annette July 20, 2009 at 7:56 am

Sad to read you were under the weather – your salad looks soo tastey! Great photographs.

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TheOrganicSister July 20, 2009 at 8:56 pm

Feta…mmmmm. This looks yummy. Minus the onions cuz I’m weird like that.

Thanks for the comment on my blog, even if I do think using an mixer instead of overexerting yourself and cramping a muscle is cheating. 😉

~Tara

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Irene July 21, 2009 at 10:26 am

Perfect Greek salad! Especially in the summer, when it’s so hot, I love how refreshing it is. I especially like soaking up the left over dressing with some flatbread… yum!

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katiebug July 21, 2009 at 11:32 am

I made this last night with fresh tomatoes from the garden and it was delicious!

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stacy July 21, 2009 at 12:10 pm

Annette – Thank you, both for the compliments and the concern. I’m not sure that anything featuring olives and cheese can be bad, though.

Tara – No onions?!?!?! Blasphemy!!! And you must have jinxed me, because I was halfway through a loaf of bread last night when my mixer hinge came loose! I’m still crying. =(

Irene – Thanks for stopping by! Mmm, I agree. I have just a little crusty bread left that has been perfect, toasted, on the side.

Katie – Oooh, garden tomatoes are the best. I have some pink ones that aren’t quite ready to come in yet, but I am watching them carefully! They have a hot date with some fresh mozzarella and olive oil. Or some cucumbers and feta. Decisions, decisions…

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