I don’t know about you, but I tend to make the same salad all the time, and even though I love salads, I do get bored with them once in a while. It was time to shake things up. This Mediterranean salad is quick and easy to throw together and has everything you’d expect: kalamata olives, artichokes and feta—almond feta, that is! So delicious and fresh. Great for a lunch, dinner, or side. Just remember to make the feta ahead of time as it needs 2-3 hours to set up.
INGREDIENTS:
Salad
3-4 hearts of romaine, chopped
1 C cherry tomatoes, halved
1 C kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/3 C red onion, diced
1 C canned artichoke hearts, chopped
Dressing
1/2 C olive oil
1/3 C red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove
1 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
Almond feta
1 C blanched almonds
1/4 C lemon juice
3 Tbs olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1-1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C cold water
DIRECTIONS:
Start with the feta. This will need to be made ahead of time (2-3 hours). To begin, if you need to blanch them, boil them in just enough water to cover them, for 2 minutes. Drain and remove the skins; they should slide right off. Toss into a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and process several minutes until super smooth. You’ll have to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice. Pour the almond mixture onto cheesecloth (I use a thin cotton napkin) and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Keep wrapped in the cloth and store in the fridge on a plate or bowl. Chill for 2-3 hours.
To make the dressing, puree everything in a food processor. Blend 2-3 minutes until completely smooth. Transfer to a sealed container. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Makes about 1-1/2 cups.)
Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss. You can dress the whole salad or leave it off for individual servings. Top with some almond feta. The feta is also great on bread, crackers and veggies. Enjoy!
- Salad
- 3-4 hearts of romaine, chopped
- 1 C cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 C kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- ⅓ C red onion, diced
- 1 C canned artichoke hearts, chopped
- Dressing
- ½ C olive oil
- ⅓ C red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp oregano
- ¾ tsp onion powder
- ¾ tsp black pepper
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp Dijon mustard
- Almond feta
- 1 C blanched almonds
- ¼ C lemon juice
- 3 Tbs olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1-1/4 tsp salt
- ½ C cold water
- Start with the feta. This will need to be made ahead of time (2-3 hours). To begin, if you need to blanch them, boil them in just enough water to cover them, for 2 minutes. Drain and remove the skins; they should slide right off. Toss into a food processor with the rest of the ingredients and process several minutes until super smooth. You'll have to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice. Pour the almond mixture onto cheesecloth (I use a thin cotton napkin) and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Keep wrapped in the cloth and store in the fridge on a plate or bowl. Chill for 2-3 hours.
- To make the dressing, puree everything in a food processor. Blend 2-3 minutes until completely smooth. Transfer to a sealed container. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Makes about 1-1/2 cups.)
- Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss. You can dress the whole salad or leave it off for individual servings. Top with some almond feta. The feta is also great on bread, crackers and veggies. Enjoy!
