I was looking for a simple side dish to go with the mind-blowing chicken gyros, and thought a salad sounded perfect. I’ve had a lot of success making my own salad dressings recently (first with Caesar salad, then with strawberry champagne vinaigrette), so I thought I would try a Greek dressing. This dressing is wonderfully light and flavorful, and also very convenient because I already had all of the ingredients on hand. Salads don’t really require recipes since they should be made to suit your own personal tastes, but I thought I would post anyway since the dressing is delicious, and I’m always happy to find inspiration for a tasty new spin on salad. Also, as a side note, I was a former cucumber-hater, but the gyros and this salad have started to convert me. I love when this happens! Any time I find a new ingredient that I like, it opens up a whole range of possibilities. I’m so glad my palate continues to mature with age (just like my mom said it would) :)
Greek Salad
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. minced fresh dill
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
For the salad:
Romaine lettuce
Sliced red onions
Sliced black olives (kalamata would be more appropriate, but I’m fairly sure I’ll never like those)
Grape tomatoes, halved
Cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
Crumbled feta cheese
Directions:
To make the dressing, in a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients. Whisk together until well combined.
To make the salad, add romaine lettuce to a salad bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss well to coat. Top as desired with red onions, black olives, tomatoes, cucumber, and feta cheese. Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and shake well before using again.
Source: dressing adapted from Williams Sonoma
