Greek Salad

Today we had a family cookout with my in-laws. They have had company the last few weeks so it was the first time that they got to come see our new house. We wanted to make dinner as well so we picked up steaks from Costco (best place in Calgary IMO) and planned to throw them on the grill. One decision down but I wasn’t sure what else to make. It’s been so hot the last week or so that I really didn’t feel like heating the house up by using the oven or the stove. Well, I guess that means SALAD time! Everyone loves feta so I decided to try my hand at Greek Salad.

The farmer’s market and my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery have been bursting with wonderful veggies. I wanted to make something that used these farm fresh fruits and veggies to the max. I decided to head over to Life Made Delicious to see if I could find a recipe to try. (Did I mention that I was recently chosen as one of their bloggers?…yep!)

I decided to try two (though I made one exactly as written and the other…well, I used it as inspiration)….one for Greek Salad and one for Honey Lime Fruit Salad.

Scrumptious Greek Salad

Yield: 8

Fresh and tasty, this recipe benefits from the use of farm fresh veggies!

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Ingredients

• Juice of one lemon, ~3 Tbsp
• 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 romaine heart, chopped, rinsed & spun to dry
• 1 bell pepper, red or orange, cored & coarsely chopped
• 1/2 large cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped (big pieces)
• 1 medium red onion, cut in half and sliced
• 2 to matoes, coarsely chopped and seeded
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. Mix first 8 ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Whisk together until combined.
3. Place romaine in a large bowl along with other salad ingredients.
4. Toss with dressing just before serving.

Notes

Salad ingredients can be prechopped and kept in the refrigerator for an hour or two. Just wait to dress the salad until right before you serve it.

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

For dessert I served the Honey Lime Fruit Salad with vanilla ice cream. It was a HUGE hit. Not a speck was left (which made me kind of sad because I was hoping to take some for my lunch tomorrow! In case you are wondering….I used blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, plums and champagne grapes in my fruit salad.

It was a delicious meal with the added perks of a quick clean up and a cool kitchen. I will be very sad when the fresh fruits and veggies are a distant memory but until then…eat up!

What is your favorite “go to” recipe when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen using the stove?

Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.