Taverna Salad

My favorite part of a salad like this is that everything is finely copped and the same size. It makes the salad have a really nice crunch and each bite you get has a bit of everything. You can literally sub out pretty much anything you want / have on hand in this recipe. If you don’t have chickpeas, add in kidney or cannellini beans. Swap out the onion type, add more or different types of herbs, or event swap the Kalamata olives our for capers, pickles or a different type of olive.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp of kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp of ground pepper

• 1/4 cup of olive oil

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 2 Persian cucumbers; finely chopped

• 1 small bell pepper (any color); finely chopped

• 1/2 - 1 cup of cherry tomatoes; cut in half

• 1 can of chickpeas; drained and rinsed

• 1/4 of a red onion; finely chopped (you can also swap this our for scallions if you prefer!)

• 1/4 cup of Kalamata olives; cut in half

• 1 - 2 tbsp of chopped parsley

• Cheese of your choice - you can use cubes of feta or cooked halloumi or mozzarella balls (I used moz and just cut it up to the same size of the veggies).

In a large bowl that is big enough for your entire salad, whisk together the dressing (oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice).

Add in all your veggies / parsley and toss it all together. Add in your cheese of choice and toss again.

Taste and adjust any seasoning as needed.