The best Greek salad

I love Greek salads. Salty olives and feta with the refreshing bite of cucumber and tomato is perfect. This salad is so simple that it relies on the integrity of its few ingredients. Buy the freshest tomatoes, cucumber, onion and basil you can find (probably at your local farmers market). We all know that eating Greek salads in winter, when tomatoes and cucumbers are out of season, isn't very tasty.

This is a great healthy lunch that can be made in minutes. Or make the night before so the flavors have time to meld and pack for lunch the next day.

Greek Salad
1-2 pickling cucumbers
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 c kalamata olives, pitted & halved
1/4 red onion, sliced
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
dash of sea salt and pepper
handful of basil, chiffonaded
goat feta to garnish

Chop the cucumbers into slices and cut in half. Toss into a bowl along with the tomatoes, olives, and onion. Drizzle the olive oil and vinegar over top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Garnish with basil and goat feta. Enjoy with a slice of baguette or this cold soup.

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Green olive chickpeas

I stopped by my favorite Mediterranean bakery and deli to grab some pita bread last weekend. I didn't realize I was hungry until I stood in front of the counter with hummus, baba ghanouj, tzatziki, bean salads, potato salad and tabouli staring back at me. I normally grab hummus or tabouli, but this time I grabbed a chickpea salad. I took a bite expecting it to taste like an regular chickpea salad with lemon and parsley. But I was wrong. There were salty green olives sprinkled throughout which made it something special. I decided I had to make this at home (as an alternative to this yummy salad).

Green olive chickpeas
2 c chickpeas or 1 can, rinsed
1/4 c green olives, sliced
1/2 c parsley, chopped
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp za'atar
cracked pepper

Mix chickpeas, olives, parsley, scallions and tomatoes into a large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients in a small dish. Stir well and pour over the bean mixture. Let flavors meld before serving. Enjoy as a cold salad or stuff inside a pita for a tasty lunch.