Greek Salad
Okay, so clearly we are noodle lovers here. I like any sort of pasta all year long, but especially during the cold winter months. It is my happy comfort food. Sometimes, though, your body tells you that you need some veggies and it’s time to chill with the pasta dishes. Okay, I can get on board with that.
This week in NJ, it’s gotten a bit warmer and the sun has been shining, and days are getting longer! Spring is in the air. I think we are all craving it a little extra after the year we have endured. Spring means fresh vegetables, fruit, and bright flavors. So, enter the greek salad!
Salads are sometimes too much work. It’s just easier to eat a sandwich for lunch or reheat leftovers. So, when I commit to a good salad, I like to prep the “toppings” for 2-3 days of lunch salads so they are much easier to assemble and I’m more likely to eat them. This particular salad is deliciously salty. Sometimes a sweet salad hits the spot, but this salty combo is hard to beat. Between the olives and feta cheese, I don’t know how you can pass it up.
The two “extra” toppings that really create texture and add some more substance to this salad are the chickpeas and the farro. You could also top with some extra protein like grilled chicken or fish.
I like chickpeas, but sometimes they just fall flat. So, roasting them really makes them next level. They’re almost like a crouton, but a little healthier. It takes a little time, but again, a few days of salads is worth it!
Farro is one of my favorite grains for salads. It has a great texture, a little bit chewy, but not mushy like other options can be. Depending on the brand you purchase, instructions for cooking can vary. I used bone broth and cooked mine like I would rice. It’s tasty and pretty simple to do! Again, worth it.
The rest of the ingredients in this salad can vary in amount just depending how much you want to make at the moment or if you want to prepare some for tomorrow etc. Assembling salads ahead of time doesn’t really work, but having the veggies chopped and ready makes it very simple when you want to use them within a few days.
Also, I rarely buy bottled salad dressing. They’re usually full of ingredients I want to avoid, so I often make my own or I do use Good Seasons packets and mix them at home. All you do is add the vinegar and oil of your choice. They’re very tasty and I think just a better choice overall. So, for this salad, I often use the garlic herb packet with red wine vinegar and olive oil. You can totally just use oil and vinegar with a little lemon and/or oregano and salt/pepper. There is a lot of flavor in the rest of the toppings, so the dressing can be minimal.Â
Again, this is a very tasty salty salad I love to have for lunch. It will give you that spring energy you may be craving right now.
Actually, I think I’m going to have another bowl right now…happy weekend, everyone!
Greek Salad
Ingredients
- Mixed greens
- 1 cup uncooked farro
- 2 cups water or broth
- Kalamata olives
- Cucumber
- Grape tomatoes
- 1 can chickpeas
- olive oil, salt, pepper to taste
- Red onion
- Feta cheese
- 1 packet garlic Good Seasons dressing
- Red wine vinegar
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Drain and rinse chickpeas and place on paper towel to dry thoroughly
- Optional: roast in the oven on 425 with olive oil, salt, pepper, and any other spices of your choice! Roast for about 20 minutes. Tip: put the pan in the oven while preheating and then pour the seasoned chickpeas onto the hot pan so they immediately start toasting.
- While those are drying/roasting, cook the farro. I used bone broth to add more flavor. Follow directions for cooking on the box/bag as this can vary depending on what type of farro you’re using.
- Chop the rest of your toppings. I use tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, kalamata olives and feta cheese. You can add whatever you like! I also like chopping extra so that I have them ready for the next few days of salads and eat it all week long.
- For the dressing, the good seasons packets are mixed with vinegar, water and oil. I use red wine vinegar when I’m making a greek style dressing. You can skip the seasoning and just add your own preferred spices like oregano, lemon, salt, and pepper. The packets are a quick fix that I keep in my pantry and they taste very good without too many excess ingredients that I try to avoid in bottled dressing.
- Combine all ingredients for a delicious, salty salad with great texture!
- You will have enough for a few decent sized salads, but amounts can be varied or stored in the fridge easily. Enjoy!
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