Greek Summer Salad Food

GRILLED GREEK SUMMER SALAD

Steps:

• For the sweet Greek dressing: Whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, oregano and garlic in a bowl. Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking. Add salt and pepper to taste. Measure out 1/2 cup of the dressing for marinating the chicken. Set aside the remaining dressing for drizzling on the salad.
• For the chicken: Put the chicken in a nonreactive container, pour the reserved 1/2 cup sweet Greek dressing over it and toss to coat. Marinate the chicken, refrigerated, for 2 hours.
• Preheat a grill to medium heat.
• Oil the grill grates with vegetable oil. Grill the chicken until golden on each side and the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F, 7 to 8 minutes per side. Let rest before slicing.
• For the salad: Brush each romaine half with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on high on the cut sides until slightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Place a seared romaine half on a serving plate. Line up some tomatoes, feta, olives, cucumbers, onions and sliced chicken atop the romaine. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with the sweet Greek dressing. Garnish with cracked black pepper and sea salt and serve.

GREEK SALAD

Steps:

• Place the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.
• For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Still whisking, slowly add the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta and olives and toss lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

GREEK ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Drain artichoke hearts, reserving liquid.
• In large bowl combine pasta, artichoke hearts, tomato, cucumber, onion, feta, olives, parsley, lemon juice, oregano and lemon pepper. Toss and chill for 1 hour in refrigerator.
• Just before serving, drizzle reserved artichoke marinade over salad.

GREEK SUMMER SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the dressing and balsamic vinegar together for a minute or two until well combined.
• Add the other ingredients. There is no order that works best here; the dish is meant to be a simple and rustic one.
• If you are using the olives, feel free to add them at this time. My husband isn't fond of olives, so when I make this dish, I typically add them to my portion alone so that he doesn't have to "weed" them out. If there are no picky eaters in your family then just toss them in!
• Toss the salad until all the ingredients are coated in the dressing.
• Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving. This will give the dressing time to thicken up and further coat the other ingredients.
• Serve and enjoy! This is a great compliment to just about any dish and is wonderful for those summer meals when you're looking for something nice and cool to relax with!

GREEK SUMMER SALAD (ANAMIKTI SALATA)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients (except olive oil in a large bowl).
• Toss to combine, sprinkle with olive oil ( about 1/4 cup).
• Chill for 30 min., serve chilled.

GREEK SUMMER SALAD: STRAWBERRIES AND FETA ON MIXED BABY GREENS

Steps:

• Wash & rinse your salad greens, pat dry with paper towels to ensure most of the water has been removed from the leaves. Set aside.
• In a large serving bowl, whisk together the first 7 VINAIGRETTE ingredients. Continue whisking while adding a slow and steady stream of extra-virgin olive oil, followed by the mild/light olive oil. Whisk until you get a creamy, emulsified mixture. (Makes about 1 cup. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.).
• Add the salad greens, tarragon, strawberries, and olives to the bowl; gently toss to coat all your salad leaves with the vinaigrette.
• Equally divide your salad and place on chilled plates; top with the walnuts, feta, and lemon zest. Do like the Greeks, serve with crusty Italian or French bread to mop up the leftover vinaigrette and strawberry juices.

GREEK TORTELLINI SALAD

Steps:

• For the pasta salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.
• Add the remaining salad ingredients and toss to combine. Set aside.
• For the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, oregano and sugar. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously until the dressing is well blended.
• Add the dressing to the pasta salad and toss to combine. Serve right away or refrigerate for up to 2 days and serve cold or at room temperature.