A traditional Greek Salad alive with flavour. Serve as an accompaniment to the family meal or on its own as a healthy lunch option…
We can all be guilty at times of other-thinking, particularly when it comes to preparing healthy meals for the kids.
Tried and tested solutions, such as salads, are often overlooked as being too simple, or just boring, but this tasty Greek salad with dips proves that a simple variation can make all the difference.
Greek Salad Ingredients
- 6 ripe salad tomatoes
- ⅔ of a cucumber
- 1 large red onion
- 50g pitted black olives
- 200g reduced-fat Greek feta cheese
- 1 lemon (juice only)
- 2 x 15ml spoons olive oil
- Black pepper (optional)
- Small bunch of fresh parsley (optional)
For the Pitta Breads
- 6 pitta breads sliced into strips
- Tzatziki dip
- 200g plain low-fat Greek yoghurt
- The remaining ⅓ of cucumber
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 x 5ml spoon lemon juice (take this from the juice for the Greek salad)
You’ll need
- Weighing scales
- Colander
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- Large salad bowl
- Spoon
- Juice squeezer
- Measuring spoons
- Small bowl x 2
- Garlic press
Instructions – Greek Salad
- Wash and dry the tomatoes and cucumber.
- Carefully slice the tomatoes into quarters and place them into the salad bowl.
- Slice each end off the cucumber and save about ⅓ for the dip.
- Slice the remaining cucumber into 2cm slices, and then cut each chunk in half to make 2 half moon shapes. Add the cucumber to the salad bowl.
- Peel and trim the onion. Cut the onion in half and slice each half finely, separating any slices that stick together. Add the onion to the salad bowl.
- Finely chop the olives and add to the other ingredients in the bowl and mix well.
- Turn your chopping board over. Lay the feta cheese onto the board. Carefully cut the cheese into dice sized cubes. You can use your fingers to crumble the feta if you prefer. Stir this gently into the rest of the ingredients.
- Slice the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a small bowl.
- Make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice (save 1 x 5ml spoon for the Tzatziki) with the olive oil. Add black pepper to taste (if using) and mix together. Drizzle over the salad and stir.
- Finely chop the fresh parsley (if using) and sprinkle on the top.
The Pitta Breads and Tzatziki
- Cut each pitta bread into 5 slices.
- Empty the Greek yoghurt into a small bowl.
- Chop the cucumber into ½cm slices and cut each slice into ½cm cubes. Add this to the yoghurt and stir.
- Carefully peel and crush the garlic. Stir this into the yoghurt.
- Add the remaining lemon juice and stir.
Skills used include:
Washing, weighing, measuring, peeling, chopping, crushing, squeezing, mixing/combining and serving.
Top Tips
The great thing about Greek Salad is that you can decide how large you slice the ingredients and how many extra ingredients you add.
Some Greek Salads are served with large chunks of tomato, cucumber and onion, some are very finely sliced. It’s up to you!
Something to try next time
Try adding 1½cm chunks of green pepper to your salad, or swapping the black olives with green or black grapes for a sweeter alternative.
You could also toast the pitta breads and serve with hummus for a tasty snack.
This delicious and colourful salad is best eaten as soon as it is prepared, but don’t waste any leftovers. Chill and use within 24 hours.
See Also
