Greek Salad with Oregano Vinaigrette

Inspiration:

I love chatting recipes with my Sister, she adds a special culinary twist to my norm; taking something rather ordinary, adding one extra step or introducing a fresh ingredient, and all of the sudden it takes the dish next level.

This salad is a perfect example. We regularly have a Greek-style salad; we took this one up a notch by roasting the (not-so-seasonal) tomatoes & using fresh oregano for the dressing. If you’ve never roasted tomatoes - wow! You must.

Salad for Dinner (#SFD, I’m coming for you!) is definitely a *thing* around our house - piling all sorts of fresh veggies and some sort of protein into a bowl & calling it the main event. This Greek Salad with Oregano Vinaigrette is a perfect example. Looking to join the Salad for Dinner Club (#SFD)? Add chicken & enjoy.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

Dressing / marinade

3 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
Juice and zest of one lemon
¾ cup olive oil
¾ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon kosher sea salt

Salad

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1 Tablespoon olive oil
8 cups/1 head lettuce or the equivalent amount of mixed greens such as spinach, radicchio, and bibb lettuce, washed and torn
½ English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup/5 oz. feta cheese in brine, crumbled
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half lengthwise

optional: 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300˚F. Prepare a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Toss the cherry tomatoes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread the tomatoes cut-side down on the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes until they’re juicy and starting to wrinkle. Set aside to cool.

While the tomatoes are roasting, make the oregano vinaigrette. Mix the chopped oregano, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and taste for seasoning. The marinade should be lemony and zingy and taste good enough to eat on salad greens. Add a pinch more salt or pepper if needed.

Reserve the half of the vinaigrette to dress the salad. You can use the other half the vinaigrette to marinate chicken (see below), or store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Want to add chicken?

Pre-heat a grill to medium heat. Put the chicken in a medium bowl and pour half of the vinaigrette over it, giving it a toss to coat. Allow chicken to marinate for about 20 minutes. When the grill is ready, cook chicken for 15-20’, flipping after 8 minutes or so. Allow chicken to cool slightly and slice into strips.

Salad assembly

Meanwhile, divide lettuce or greens between 4 large salad bowls or plates. Top each with cucumber, onion, feta, olives, roasted tomatoes, and chicken (if using). Drizzle vinaigrette over each salad and season with salt and pepper.

A few notes:

Other great additions to this salad include: artichoke hearts, bell peppers, garbanzo beans, pine-nuts.

Did you know pre-crumbled cheese has additional “anti-caking” agents added to it? Read your labels and if you can, fresh is best!

Looking to save time? Cook your tomatoes and chicken at the same time, and you can have dinner ready in about 30 minutes or so.

Go for the fresh oregano - it won’t disappoint. And roast your tomatoes. Ok, bye.