Greek Salad with Vinaigrette

Traditional Greek salads, sometimes called Greek Village Salad (or Horiatiki), don’t include lettuce, but I prefer mine with a base of romaine, so that’s the recipe I’m sharing today.

First, you can start by mixing a simple vinaigrette. I found a recipe that I liked in the book, “The New Atkins for a New You.” It includes fresh lemon juice which I think really enhances the dressing, but if you don’t have a lemon handy, then by all means use red wine vinegar.

It’s so easy to make, just a few spices, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and a splash of vinegar. I added everything to my shaker bottle, and it makes enough for several servings.

For the salad, I was so fortunate to have fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from a friend’s garden. The fresher your ingredients, the tastier your salad is going to be. Along with tomatoes and cucumbers, I add organic romaine lettuce, a bit of red onion, and Greek feta cheese. Feel free to add kalamata olives, as well.

Sometimes red onions can have a very strong flavor, so a little trick to mellow them, is to rinse the onion slices in cold water before adding them to the salad.

Once all the ingredients are in the bowl, drizzle some vinaigrette on top.

To make it a full meal, add some protein like grilled chicken. It tastes so fresh! The crisp lettuce and cucumber, sweet tomatoes and salty feta, plus the lemony tang of the vinaigrette, make a great combination. It’s like the best of summer in a bowl!

Greek Salad with Vinaigrette

Servings:  1 entrĂ©e or 2 side salads

  • 3 generous handfuls of torn romaine lettuce (approx. 3 cups)
  • 1/2 cup diced cucumbers
  • 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
  • 2 thin slices of red onion
  • 2 tablespoons Greek Vinaigrette (recipe below)
  • 2 tablespoons crumbled Greek feta cheese
  • A few Kalamata olives, optional
  • 1-2 pepperoncini, optional

Greek Vinaigrette

Servings:  4

  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Directions:

Add lettuce to a large bowl, along with cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and feta.   

Combine vinaigrette ingredients in a shaker bottle and shake to combine, or whisk in a bowl.

Drizzle salad with 2 tablespoons of dressing. 

Add some grilled chicken or other protein to make a full meal.

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