Greek Salad

Sometimes I crave coming home and cutting vegetables up. Is that strange? I love hearing the clap of the knife against the wood cutting board. And I love that my dog lies on her belly and watches my every move with her eyes. It relaxes me. This weekend I was especially excited to chop up these veggies because I went to a new farmers market in town and couldn't wait to taste them. They were perfect.

The great thing about a big salad is it's refreshing, juicy and makes you feel good inside. This classic greek salad does not have lettuce, which makes it easier to eat I think. Feel free to add any other vegetables you have. I added kalamata olives, slivers of red onion and chunks of feta. The dressing is simply lemon juice, olive oil and salt. I hope this inspired you to go home and make a BIG salad! You won't regret it.

Awesome Chickpea Salad

This is another dish from my mediterranean dinner party menu. I kind of threw this together about 30 minutes before the party, but it ended up being one of my favorite salads of the night!

It is very simple but very flavorful, too. This filling salad has chickpeas, cucumbers, red onion, shredded carrot, mint, parlsey, lemon juice and olive oil — all things that are laying around the kitchen. And of course, you can substitute any of the veggies, or beans for that matter, with whatever you have on-hand. I bet a chopped up hard-boiled egg would be great, too. Plus, not only is it delicious right when you make it, but it is also great the next day, straight out of the fridge for a quick cold lunch or snack. Give it a try!

Chickpea Salad

serves 6

adapted via Martha Stewart

2 cans chickpeas, drained and washed

1 seedless cucumber

1/2 red onion, chopped and soaked in a bowl of water for 20 minutes

3 shredded carrots

3 tablespoons fresh mint

3 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley

1/2 lemon juiced

olive oil

salt 'n' peppa

1 In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix. Combine lemon juice with olive oil, to taste, and season.

2 Pour dressing over salad and mix well. Serve cold, after 30 minutes of letting the dressing meld with the salad, or can be served right away if you are pressed for time. It will still be delicious!

Pomegranate Salad with Soy Vinegar Dressing

I think this is the first real salad I have posted on here. I have posted a dressing, but never a whole salad. This is my favorite type of salad because it is quick and easy to prepare, no veggies to chop, just throw the greens in a bowl and you're done. For this particular salad I used pomegranate seeds as a garnish – super tasty and juicy. The dressing has a surprise ingredient – soy sauce – which adds just a touch of saltiness. I'll also show you a trick to opening up and seeding pomegranates too, my mom taught it to me. Its genius!

How to cut and open a pomegranate:

Step 1: Cut the pomegranate into quarters with a sharp knife.

Step 2: Fill a large bowl 3/4 of the way with water. Immerse one of the quarters into the water.

Step 3: While holding the pomegranate quarter underwater, begin to scoop out the seeds with your thumb, in the direction towards the bottom of the bowl, not up into your face. They will slip off pretty easily. You can break up the quarters further if you need to. The reason for the water is so that the rest of your kitchen won't be splattered with red juice everywhere. This way, it is contained underwater and is very easy to cleanup.

Step 4: Once you have finished removing all of the seeds from the pomegranate, pour the water and seeds over the strainer into the sink so that the seeds are kept inside. This can be done ahead of time and kept refrigerated once you are ready to assemble the salad.

Soy Vinegar Dressing

adapted from white on rice couple

1/2 garlic clove

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard

splash of soy sauce

ground pepper

1.5-2 tablespoons olive oil

Greens, I used a spring mix but arugula or spinach would work fine.

1 In a large bowl, rub the cut side of the garlic clove all around the bottom and sides of the bowl. This will add the hint of garlic once the salad is dressed.

2 Whisk together all the ingredients except the olive oil. 

3 Drizzle in the olive oil in a thin steady stream, whisking all the time. Taste to see if it needs more olive oil or seasoning.

4 Throw some greens in the same bowl as the dressing and using tongs, coat the leaves with the dressing. Top with pomegranate seeds.

Summery Tzatziki Salad

I know I've been kinda MIA around here lately, but we've been stung with the 'house hunting bug' and I've been pre-occupied with that. You know things can get hectic with that sorta thing...Meanwhile, I've been making a lot of quick salads like this one. I call it a summer salad because the veggies in it remind me of summer so much. It's dressed with tzatziki sauce, a light tart creamy yogurt which is yummy dipped in veggies. So I thought, why not use it as a salad dressing? Its cool, creamy, yet still light and summery. AND it only has 3-4 ingredients! What's your favorite summer salad?

Summery Tzatziki Salad

2 Roma Tomatoes

1 Cucumber

1/4 cup tzatziki

1 sprig fresh dill

1 Chop up tomatoes and cucumbers and throw in a bowl.

2 Combine tzatziki sauce with chopped dill and fold into the vegetable mixture.

3 Season with salt 'n' peppa.