Greek Salad

Greek Salad

For the salad:

Chef Nathan’s Greek Salad

1  large head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1  small red onion, peeled and finely diced
2  teaspoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2  pints cherry tomatoes, halved
½  teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1  cup feta cheese, crumbled, Greek if possible
¼  cup roughly-chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
1  cup drained, pitted, roughly-chopped Katamala olives
1  (15-oz) can chick peas, rinsed, drained
1  large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, seeded, small dice (3/4 cup)
4  small cucumbers, Persian or Japanese, peeled, medium dice (1½ cups)
2  large avocados, halved, pitted, scooped out with a spoon, medium dice

For the vinaigrette:
1  large clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2  tablespoons red-wine vinegar
¼  cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, as needed
Freshly ground black pepper, as needed

In a small container with a tight sealing lid, combine the vinaigrette ingredients, close to seal, and shake until emulsified, 30 seconds.

Method:
Place everything but the vinaigrette into a large serving bowl and gently mix together with a large spoon, spatula or your hands.  Finish the salad by stirring in half of the vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir to combine, adding more salad dressing, salt and pepper to taste.  Seriously, folks.  That’s it.  Enjoy!

Note.  You can halve this recipe with great success.  Also, If you’re a fan of lemon, feel free to substitute 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice for 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar.  If so, your vinaigrette would be ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinaigrette and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice.

YIELD: Serves 6 to 8 

About Joe Lamp'l

Joe Lamp'l is the Host and Executive Producer of the award winning PBS television series Growing A Greener World. Off camera, Joe dedicates his time to promoting sustainability through his popular books, blog, podcast series, and nationally syndicated newspaper columns. Follow Joe on Twitter