HEALTHY FOOD so TASTY you'll
want to eat it EVERYDAY.
RECIPE: GREEK SALAD
As part of the 'STURDY SALAD LINE', having this salad on hand means lunch, a snack or a side salad at dinner is ready to go (or even a light dinner...a girl's gotta eat!).
Served with black olives and feta cheese.
The natural sweetness of bell peppers makes this a hit with kids and adults, and besides being delicious, this salad packs a huge nutrient and antioxidant punch.
I often double the recipe as it never lasts more than 1 week in our fridge. It's that good!
PREP TIME: 10-15 min
MAKES: 8-9 cups/1200-1300g
SERVES: 8 side dishes / 4 as a main course lunch
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE SALAD & DRESSING:
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2 red bell peppers
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1 yellow bell pepper
-
1 orange bell pepper
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1 English cucumber*
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1 small red onion
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½ cup (120 ml) olive oil
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1 TBSP (15 ml) lemon juice
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2 TBSP (30 ml) white wine vinegar
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1 tsp salt (or to taste)
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1 sachet TASTE OF TUSCANY spice blend
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½ tsp red chili flakes (optional)
FOR SERVING:
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Feta cheese blocks or crumbles
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Black olives, no pits, whole or in slices
MAKE THE SALAD
Cut all of the peppers, cucumber and onion into bite-sized chunks and mix all salad ingredients (not the serving ingredients) together in a large bowl. Transfer to an airtight container and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours to soften and absorb the dressing.
Mix ingdredients - leave out the olives and feta until ready to serve.
SERVE
Spoon into a large serving bowl, or individual bowls and top with black olives and feta cheese as desired.
Served with black olives and feta cheese.
Served with black olives and feta cheese.
Recipe & Photo Credit: Cathy Menees
COOK'S NOTES
INGREDIENTS
*ENGLISH CUCUMBERS have less seeds than regular cucumbers, so have a look at the ingredients photo and shop for the long, thin english cumbers if possible.
RED ONIONS in the US tend to be much bigger than red onions in Europe. In order for you to gauge your portions, my red onions weighed about 4.5 oz (125 g) each (before peeling). So have a look at the photo for proportions and if your onion is the same size as a bell pepper, then scale down to 1 ½ onions!
CRUSHED RED CHILLI FLAKES are not a standard ingredient in Greek Salad, but I like the kick of heat it gives, and chilies are good for boosting metabolism, so if you like it, add it!
Be sure to use PROPER FETA (from sheets or goats milk...read the label) to reap the pro-biotic benefits...as well as for the taste and easier digestion.
SERVING
Don't add the OLIVES and FETA to the salad UNTIL you spoon it into serving bowls. If you try to store this salad for a few days with the olives and cheese added, the olives will turn everything brown, and the cheese will break down and not be so nice.
STORAGE
This salad can last at least one week in the fridge, and in fact, gets better over time as the flavors intensify.
While this salad keeps for a long time, the natural juices of the vegetables will start to seep out into the salad, which is nice in terms of moisture, but it can dilute the salt-taste in the dressing. So after a few days, you'll probably want to season with a bit more salt to taste at the point of serving.
