A NEW (OLD) GREEK SALAD

Confession: I don’t love making salad—washing, chopping, and fussing over greens and vegetables.

But, I love eating salad. I crave a bit of fresh and crunchy every night. One summer, trying to feed us all well between a glut of parties, trips and fairs, I fell back on my old standby: Greek salad. I started with the classic—hunks of cucumbers, tomato, onion, feta, and olives, but as I subbed in any other vegetables that appeared in my CSA box week by week—fennel, peaches, tomatillos—it hit me: Greek salad isn’t just a salad, it’s a formula, and the best one for winning at getting more vegetables on your plate. 

Try it!

It goes like this: big meaty chunks of vegetables + large amounts of a salty, flavorful cheese (cut or crumbled) + olives (or capers) + dressing (anything you have stashed in the refrigerator, or a drizzle of olive oil, lemon, and salt and pepper if you don’t).

The result: big smiles, full bellies.

For tons of ideas on how to pull this off, and what ingredients work best, check out my newsletter, here. In the meantime, here’s a classic formula for you. Make your cuts/chunks as big or as small as you please.

GREEK SALAD (THE OLD WAY, OR A NEW WAY!)

TOTAL TIME: 10 MINUTES

SERVES 4

1 Large cucumber, peeled or unpeeled, chopped

1 pepper (any kind, hot or sweet), seeded and chopped

1 to 3 firm ripe tomatoes, peaches, or plums (something juicy and tangy), of a combination, chopped

1 handful of washed greens or other leaves, torn or chopped 

1 small red or white onion, chopped

6 oz (170 g) salty semi firm cheese like feta

½ cup (70 g) olives, pitted

Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon 

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar, or Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 handful of fresh tender herbs (like dill, oregano, or basil), torn or chopped

Toss all the vegetables together in a large bowl, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside for the salt and pepper to draw out flavor and lightly soften the vegetables, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the oil and vinegar in a jar, seal and shake vigorously to combine. Pour over the vegetables, toss and add in fresh herbs, just before serving. Serve slightly chilled.