EPISODE 105

This recipe is truly beloved in my family, it has been one of my mom’s staples for as long as I can remember. Since there are so few ingredients, it’s of the utmost importance that you use the best quality you can get your hands on. I’ve given quantities here to serve four as a main course generously, but feel free to use the amount of veggies that suits you. If you wanted to make this more substantial, add in a sliced green pepper, place the veggies on a bed of crunchy lettuce, and serve with my phenomenal vegan spanakopita. If you wanted to make this vegan, simply omit the feta cheese. It will still be delicious. You could also add in some tofu feta if you wanted to.

Ingredients – Salad

• 3-4 ripe red tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 pint yellow cherry tomatoes, halved (optional – but nice for colour and textural contrast)
• 1 English cucumber, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/3 cup Kalamata olives (I think the non-pitted ones taste best)
• 1/2 cup feta, cubed (I adore Iranian feta here – it’s creamier than Greek feta)
• 1/2 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced (the thinner the onion the sweeter it is)
• Dried oregano
• Salt & Pepper

Instructions – Salad

To assemble, place the tomatoes in a dish with raised sides. Sprinkle generously with salt and oregano and then with just a little bit of pepper. Layer on the cucumber and season once more with lots of salt and oregano and with a smidge of pepper. Layer on the olives, feta, and onion, and sprinkle with a little more oregano. Set aside while you make the dressing.

Ingredients – Dressing

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅛ tsp pepper
• ⅛ tsp oregano
• ⅛ tsp garlic powder

Instructions – Dressing

Mix together and then pour over the dressing. Let this sit for at least 10 minutes then dive in! Yummm. The salad juices are particularly delicious on some good grilled white bread.