Greek Salad

Believe it or not, the first time I went to a Greek restaurant was when I was in my early 20s. I had just moved to Vancouver and some high school friends invited me to tag along. The restaurant we went to is Stephos, known for their large portions and reasonable prices. The lineups were, and still are, extremely long. If you visit Stephos during dinner time, you need to be there by 4pm or expect a lengthy wait. Alternatively, you can also get take out and breeze right past the lineup.

This was one of the first places my husband (then boyfriend) and I went on our dates. Greek food has always been his favorite and it is no surprise that his favorite salad is the Greek salad. The quickest way to win over my husband is to make his favourite foods: spanakopita (spinach pie) with Greek salad.

The key to a great Greek salad is having in season vegetables: ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumber, plump green pepper and a good extra virgin olive oil. It also helps if you get the pitted kalamata olives. My husband is not a fan of having to spit out the pits.

Ingredients
1 - 2 English cucumbers, cut into bite sized pieces
4 medium sized tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large green pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
1/3 red onion, diced into small pieces
400g feta cheese, diced into small cubes
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, rinsed under water (can substitute with black olives)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp dried oregano (or use 3 tbsp fresh oregano)
Black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Combine cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, red onion, feta cheese, kalamata olives in a lidded container.

2. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, dried oregano in a small bowl and pour dressing over the salad.

3. Place the lid securely on the container and shake until everything is mixed.

4. Season with black pepper.

VARIATION

• Add cooked pasta to make this a pasta salad.

Source: Frugal Allergy Mom