Simple Side Salad

Okay, I admit it, I caved.  Even though it’s winter and the rain keeps pouring down, I still wanted a salad.  Even though it’s cold outside and half the time I can barely feel my toes, I still craved those greens.  Even though I’ve stated previously that I only eat salads in the summer and instead heat up the ingredients in the skillet in the winter, I still desired that crisp refreshing taste.  So I bought the veggies for one of my all-time favorite salads and justified my purchases by remembering all of the junk I ate over the holidays.  (Anyone else feel like they gained 5 pounds from sneaking all of that chocolate when no one was around?)     

 

I make this salad quite frequently when it’s hot outside.  It reminds me of something from the Mediterranean, where they buy all of their ingredients fresh from the market or even grow their own.  Although it probably needs chopped olives to actually be classified as Mediterranean, I wouldn’t know until I travel there, but I can still dream – and enjoy the delicious combination of feta, tomatoes, and cucumbers in the meantime!

 

Feta Salad

serves 1

Serve alongside a delicious soup with a warm, crusty slice of bread to mop up any remaining dressing.

2-3 large handfuls of spinach

1-2 tbsp Balsamic Italian dressing

1 small tomato, cut in a large dice

¼ c. cucumber, diced

1-2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese

black pepper

1. (Optional)  Gather 1 handful of spinach and slice through leaves at ¼-inch intervals to make strips of the leaves.  Repeat with remaining spinach.  This makes the salad prettier and also easier to eat since you won’t have large leaves to awkwardly shove in your mouth!
2. Drizzle dressing on top and toss to evenly coat all of the spinach.
3. Add ¾ of diced tomato and ¾ of cucumber to the spinach and toss again.
4. Top with remaining tomato, cucumber, and feta cheese.  Finish with a few twists of freshly ground black pepper.