This salad is packed with a ton of flavor, and all the vegetables make sure that it is actually a healthy salad. For those who don’t know – it is easy for a salad to get out of control with cheese and dressing and restaurant salads can have well over 1000 calories. This salad doesn’t need a whole lot of dressing, b/c the ingredients have a lot of flavor. Also – Feta cheese is low-fat and it has a strong flavor, so you don’t need to use much.
Mediterranean Salad
adapted from Real Simple
makes 6 side salads or 4 entrees
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
kosher salt and black pepper
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 green bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1 English cucumber, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 red onion, chopped
4 oz Feta, crumbled (1 cup)
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
Pita Chips, either purchased or made (see below)
To make the salad an entree, add
1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, rinsed
OR
2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced
In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oregano, and olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Add the lettuce, tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, onion, chickpeas, Feta, and olives, and toss to combine. Top with pita chips.
To make pita chips at home: Heat oven to 350° F. Place 2 pitas, split in half horizontally, cut-side up on a baking sheet, brush with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and bake until golden and crisp, 4 to 6 minutes. Let cool, then break into pieces.