Traditional Greek Salad

I'm going to share one of my favorite recipes today. In fact, as I was looking through recipes I've already covered, I couldn't believe I hadn't shared this recipe before. It's one I've been making since I first started cooking, and one I've continued to make. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Greek Salad was one of my first introductions into Greek food, and it helped me realize how much I love the Mediterranean diet. Lots of tomatoes-check. Olive oil- check. Cheese- check. Marinated meats- check. Olives- check please! Greek food (at least what I make at the house!) is always fresh, bright, and freakin' delicious. Sometimes I make Greek Salad to serve alongside Chicken Soulvaki, sometimes (such as this) I serve it with hummus and naan. It's an amazingly versatile salad.

It's also an incredibly healthy salad. Honestly, it's mostly vegetables with some cheese and olives to complete the dish. The dressing is olive oil emulsified with lemon juice. There's nothing to not like about this salad. It keeps in the fridge for a good 4 days, however it rarely lasts that long at my house. I've usually scarfed it down by then. It's convenient to have in the fridge, and be able to grab a portion here or there. I've also been known to eat this as an after-dinner snack. One that never makes me feel guilty :)

Well, it's Friday friends. Does anyone have any exciting plans for the weekend? I woke up to a monsoon this morning! I'm enjoying my coffee, and thanking my lucky stars I went for a long run outside yesterday. You won't see me out there today! I take it back, I do have to go to the grocery store. I might get a little bit rained on yet. The only thing I ask for is that the rain is gone tomorrow! The hubby, I, and a couple of friends are doing a 5K for a local animal shelter tomorrow, and it would be swell if it wasn't raining... well, cats and dogs. Haha, I just couldn't resist that one! I hear my friends in Oregon have been dealing with a typical Willamette Valley spring aka. rain all day, everyday, for weeks. I guess I'm thankful we only get one of those days every once in awhile. Sorry Oregonians, you know what they say. April showers bring... June/July flowers :)

Ok, I changed that phrase to represent how I feel about spring in Oregon :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ingredients (serves 6):

4 large tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
1 large cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, grated (you could chop here, however the hubby hates raw onion texture, so I grate to change the onion texture)
1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a large salad bowl, combine tomatoes through feta cheese.
2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano. Whisk thoroughly to emulsify the dressing.
3. Drizzle dressing over salad. Toss to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Stores in fridge up to 4 days.

Recipe adapted from Sunset.

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday