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Simply Tweaked Greek Salad


I wanted to have a new take on the Greek salad, and no that isn't just adding spinach instead of salad. I kept the classics and just added one major difference; Quinoa.


I've grown pretty addicted to quinoa ever since I was introduced to it on my college campus. Of course when I first saw it I looked at it like 'ew what are those little ball things?' but when I actually tasted it I could picture how versatile it actually was.

So while I was thinking about having a salad for dinner, I realized I didn't really have a taste for spinach and I wanted something else but with a unique texture so I thought QINUOA! Depending of the package of quinoa you buy the cooking times vary, some 10 and some 15. For this quinoa I just did 15 sine I accidetly threw away the package when I switched it to another container (oopies). Once the quinoa is done, strain then set aside, preferably in the bowl that you will be serving in or eating out of.

But I didn't want to take away from the actual greeky (if that's a word) taste of the salad. So to my greeky salad I added marinated chicken.


I marinated the chicken over night, just changing one ingredient from the recipe I decided to use for this. Instead of the dried basil, I use my Garlic and Herd Mrs.Dash instead. It still had basil in it, but a few extra seasonings which I thought made the chicken more flavorful. Brown it on both sides, making sure it it cooked through, especially if it is a thicker cut of meat. You don't want a raw piece of chicken in your salad, eww. Set the chicken aside and let cool. Once cool slice the chicken and move to the next step.


Next chop half of a red and yellow pepper, and cucumber. Slice grape tomatoes in half, and by this time you are ready to plate.


Don't forget the Calamata olives and the feta!

Once you've arranged your salad (doesn't it look so pretty *smeagol voice* my precious) the next step is optional. Every salad needs a little dressing, I went with a very simple Greek vinaigrette that I tweaked from Ina Gartens recipe, once again switching out the bail for my trusty Mrs. Dash. All that's left is to drizzle on some yummy vinaigrette, mix it all together and voila you have my Simply Tweaked Greek Salad. Let me know what you think, and what are some of your simple tweaks. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Greek Vinaigrette
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic and herb Mrs. Dash
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tablespoon  good red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup good olive oil

Whisk together and set aside.

Greek Chicken Marinade
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • Juice of 1 lemons
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 Chicken Breast Halved

Marinade over night. Brown over medium high heat until cooked through. Set aside to cool, then slice width wise.

Greek Salad
1/2 Red Pepper chopped

1/2 Yellow Pepper chopped

1/2  Cucumber long ways, seeded and chopped

10 grape tomatoes cut in half

3 Tablespoons Calamata olives

3 Tablespoons feta cheese

1/2 cup Quinoa (boiled for 15 minutes and strained)





Recipe Referenced from: 

Ina Garten's Greek Salad
Full recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/greek-salad-recipe.html

Claire Robinson's Grilled Greek Chicken
Full Recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/grilled-greek-chicken-recipe.html











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