Greek Salad
Do you want to know something really fleecy? Conor and his housemates do "house shops". They go to the market together and plan out weekly meals, then take turns cooking dinner for each other! t's so cute because then they all eat together every night. Since I'm over a few nights a week, I often get included in these family dinners. A few nights back, Conor was at mine so I wanted to return the favor. Left to my own devices, I'm perfectly happy with a dinner consisting of steamed broccoli and garlic. I joke a lot that Conor starves when he comes over because I feed him like I would a pet rabbit... SO! When he told me he was coming over, I decided to make a proper meal that would both fill him up and not make me feel gross. Enter, this yummy Greek salad!
I recently figured out how to cook dried lentils, so I was already feeling the Mediterranean vibe. But this recipe came to me when I came across these babies...
I was looking for chicken... cooked chicken... because I just couldn't be bothered to turn on the oven or stove and my favorite market didn't have any. It DID however, have these falafel babies and after a quick glance at the ingredient list (no preservatives!), they made their way into my basket. All I had to do was pop them in the oven for like 10 minutes to warm through!
I went with arugula because it's my fave. I just love its peppery little zing.
Bell pepper, baby toms, red onion, emon, garlic... all Greek salad staples!
The real debate came with feta... I mean, you can't really have a Greek salad without it, right?? What's a severely lactose intolerant girl to do?? I have done some research and also heard firsthand accounts that any goats milk dairy products are a lot easier on the stomachs of the lactose challenged. I'd been wanting to test this theory for a while, so I spotted a good looking goats milk feta and ran with it. I ended up just taking a lactaid pill before din, so jury's still out on that theory... Another day!
Also, avocado because, duh.
This little bowl contains something very near and dear to my heart: crack sauce. That is the name I have dubbed this vinaigrette because I CANNOT get enough. It is the only thing I put on salads, and I love to drizzle it on steamed veggies. Fresh lemon. Olive oil. Fresh garlic. Salt + cayenne pepper. That's it! Whisk the lemon and olive oil together so it gets that vinaigrette consistency, and then add in the garlic and season it. I'm obsessed with eating raw garlic. It's just so good for you - chewing raw cloves of garlic releases the compound allicin and hits you with a good dose of anti-inflammatory and antibacterial goodness.
At the market, I also bought this baby basil plant... it was sitting with all the toms and it was just so fragrant, I couldn't leave without it. So I also threw in a few leaves to the crack sauce.
Voila!
Lastly... pita... I could have gone without it, but I was cooking for a boy and making a salad... My goal had been to make a proper, human dinner, and without the pita, it just felt lacking. So, to jazz it up a little, I baked the pita in the oven for 10 to warm it up and get the edges all crusty. Then I tore it up, drizzled olive oil on top, and finished it with a few grinds of sea salt and fresh basil. DI-VINE.
Quite the spread, right?!
I think that smile says it all :)
