when eating out, i often order a salad for dinner.
sometimes fellow diners ask me, “you’re just having a salad?”
yes, i am. just a salad.
but that doesn’t mean a salad can’t be an entree. in fact, some of the best items on a restaurant’s menu can be found in the salad section.
take my favorite greek restaurant, aristo’s, for example.
when i open the menu, i go straight to the σαλάτα section. FYI: “σαλάτα” is salad in greek. and it is pronounced “saláta”.
side note: wouldn’t it be awesome to know greek? do any of you know the language? it’s beautiful.
anyway, back to my salad ramble. my favorite thing on the menu is the greek salad with chicken souvlaki.
you’ve seen it here before.
i order it with a side of tzatziki as well as a side of the best hummus in the world. or, at least, the best hummus i have ever tried.
it simply cannot be beat.
when i was offered the chance to participate in a salad challenge hosted by fresh express (via foodbuzz) using one of their lovely salad mixes, i knew what i wanted to make.
a dinner salad.
not a salad that goes with dinner. rather, a salad. for dinner.
not just any salad, but a greek salad with chicken souvlaki, a side of tzatziki and a side of hummus.
only problem here: the only thing i had actually made myself was hummus.
that’s okay, i love a challenge.
especially a food challenge.
double especially a salad challenge.
triple especially a greek salad challenge.
i eat greek food enough to know what ingredients go into it and how it should taste. after browsing a few recipes, i decided i could figure out how to make each component of my meal, using my own recipe.
greek salad with chicken souvlaki, hummus & tzatziki
serves two
component 1: chicken souvlaki
ingredients:
- 4 bamboo skewers (soak them in water for 30 minutes)
- 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 TB oregano
- 1 TB thyme
- 1 clove of garlic, grated
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ground sea salt and black pepper
directions:
1. combine lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, thyme and garlic in a small bowl.
2. add chicken to bowl. stir it around so the sauce covers the chicken. cover the bowl and throw it in the fridge. let it marinate for as long as you can handle. i went to the gym and ran some errands, so my chicken marinated for three hours. this is a great time to soak your skewers!
3. remove chicken from fridge and thread chicken onto skewers.
4. dust with paprika, salt & pepper.
5. grill chicken skewers on outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat. make sure to turn them periodically, it will take about 2-3 minutes per side. (cooking all four sides)
6. remove from grill and set aside.
the next three components can be made while you are letting your chicken marinate.
component 2: greek dressing
ingredients:
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Greek Seasoning
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- sea salt & black pepper, to taste
directions:
1. mix all ingredients in a blender (or use an immersion blender). alternately, you could mix it well with a fork.
in case you are wondering, this is greek seasoning:
you can find it in your spice aisle.
2. pour into two ramekins (or shot glasses) and set aside.
love the color!
component 3: tzatziki
ingredients:
- 3/4 cup 0% plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 clove of garlic, grated
- 1/4 cucumber, peeled, seeded & diced (or julienned)
- 1 tsp dill (dried or fresh)
- sea salt & black pepper, to taste
directions:
1. mix all ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon.
2. pour it into a fancy looking bowl and place it in the fridge until you are ready to eat.
component #4: hummus
ingredients:
- 15 oz can garbanzo beans (peeled if you have the patience)
- reserved liquid from the can of beans (1/4 cup)
- 1/2 TB lemon juice
- 1 TB tahini
- 1/2 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 TB extra virgin olive oil, divided
- smoked paprika, for dusting
directions:
1. combine beans, lemon juice tahini, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in a food processor.
2. add 1/2 TB olive oil along with enough reserved liquid to make it the consistency you desire.
3. place hummus in a bowl, top with remaining 1/2 TB of oil and dust with paprika.
4. place in fridge until you are ready to eat.
component #5: salad
ingredients:
- 1 bag (about 4 cups) fresh express 5 lettuce mix
- 15-20 kalamata olives
- 2 small vine ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
- 1/4 of a small red onion, sliced thin
- 1/2 of a cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
directions:
1. get two plates or large bowls. divide salad mix among bo2. divide both dishes.
2. divide olives, tomatoes, red onion and cucumber among both salads.
3. sprinkle each salad with 1/4 cup feta.
4. place two chicken souvlaki skewers atop each salad.
time to eat!
serve your salad with the dressing, tzatziki, hummus and, if you want, some store bought pita bread (i am a good wife, but i have yet to make my own pita bread. sorry, marshall).
just like a restaurant 
sure, it’s just a salad. but it is also a meal :)
απολαύσει! (that means “enjoy” in greek)
for the record, marshall and i both loved this meal. it was almost identical to the greek salad at aristo’s! yes, i am tooting my own horn. toot, toot!
special thanks to foodbuzz and fresh express for sending me coupons to participate in the fresh express salad challenge! i had a lot of fun recreating one of my favorite restaurant meals.
Qs~
1. do you like greek food?
2. what is your favorite kind of salad dressing?
xo. janetha g.
disclaimer: i was not compensated by fresh express or foodbuzz in any way, but the salad mix used in this post was free of charge.
p.s. winner of the nature made giveaway will be announced tomorrow. get your entries in!
Next Comments →
Haha I too love ordering salads. I try to branch out and order other entrees but more often than not I regret not getting a salad instead! Your salad looks tasty–I would order that! I love tzatziki. I’m going to toot your horn too :)
I love salads for dinner. I think they are great! Especially when you throw a little protein on like the chicken.
These pictures are so beautiful. I love how colorful the salad is. Marshall is a lucky guy. :)
1. LOVE GREEK FOOD. Especially hummus!
2. Favorite salad dressing lately is honey mustard. So addicting.
Your salad looks great! Awesome presentation. :)
I love to order salads as entrees too! Especially if they include goat cheese! As for salad “dressing,” I prefer hummus!
YUM! This looks amazing. I love those chicken souvlaki and I can’t wait to make my own!
And next time I’m in SLC, I’m definitely checking out that restaurant!
Greek food and the language is beautiful! One of my colleagues is from Cyprus and speaks Greek, such a lovely language! I never order a salad when i’m out because i feel it won’t satisfy me and i will end up eating more after!
Wow! That’s a beautiful meal!! I’m sure it was more refreshing and easier to eat than my kick a** chili…..it was SO hot I had to eat a few pillows from heaven just to compensate for the heat :)….when can I move in???xoxo
wow, you go all out! If I had my own place, I would go all out making amazing meals like that. Instead I get yelled at for making a mess and not getting appreciated!
I am a hummus monster! My favorite salad dressing is my housemates oil and vinegar dressing its got lots of ingredients like mustard, pepper herbs and just tastes fab x x
I haven’t had a lot of Greek food, but what I’ve had, I’ve really enjoyed. I love Syrian food and I think they’re similar aren’t they?
This salad looks great!
great salad, I’d definitely have it as a meal~~~
I haven’t tried greek food yet, but I love hummus… so I might like greek in general ;)
favorite salad dressing? carrot & ginger!
BEAUTIFUL work. I am a huge salad fan. ESPECIALLY Greek salad. Whats not to love about feta cheese? Your recreation looks perfect. I think your hummus looks better than the original. Great work.
1. do you like greek food? Yes yes yes
2. what is your favorite kind of salad dressing? I like simple dressings- olive oil and vinegar or olive oil, lemon, S&P or add a little honey for some sweet
Oh yes, a salad can most definitely be considered a meal! Have you seen my salads? LoL. I throw just about anything one would put on their dinner plate on top of a bed of lettuce, drizzle some balsamic on it and call it a salad! :)
Greek food? Like? Ummmmm no. LOVE!!!!
We love greek food and especially greek salad. Way to go Janetha! I think our runner up would be the healthy version of Taco salad. So refreshing!
I am weird about salad dressing and don’t really like it. I really just like vinegar!
OMG, I am dying over this meal! I love Greek food. You did an awesome job recreating it!
I order salads out a lot, too! I love when someone else makes it!
love love love greek dressing.
but i’d have to say my favorite dressing is a new find for me – the cilantro dressing from Trader Joes
This looks amazing!! I LOVE greek food. There’s a little place here in NYC that I haven’t been to in months that does a salad with hummus, baba ghanouj, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, tabouleh and spring mix. SO GOOD!!
As for dressing, I love hummus or just simple oil and vinegar!
That looks fantastic! Way to go!
I love Greek food. There’s a Mediterranean place right near my condo and I haven’t been in FOREVER and now I want to go. :) When I was in Miami one of the restaurants we went to had a hummus plate and I got that for lunch. ‘Twas amazing.
I love creamy dressings, but don’t often use them. I also like using hummus. However, Annie’s Naturals Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette is my current favorite.
gahhh i LOVE greek food!!!!! seriously tatziki is my favorite in the whole wide world! i’m more of a goat cheese then a feta fan but feta comes in close second :) my favorite salad dressing without a doubt is just simple and plain balsamic! kirkland brand (believe it or not haha) is my fav :)
Time to make tzatziki!!! (I love hummus but can’t eat it anymore; otherwise it would go on my “list” too).
I totally agree, not much can beat a great salad! I usually just dress my salad in various vinaigrettes (which I change up by using different flavored vinegars and oils). But now I really want some tzatziki on my next salad… :)
Salads can definitely be a whole meal! Especially with all the right toppings – nuts, cheeses, meats, a variety of veggies. I love ordering salads. I actually order them out more often than I make them at home.
This looks fantastic! I have just recently gotten into salads for meals, and I am loving them! This one looks like it would be the perfect meal-sized salad :)
And I LOVE greek food. Love it. Salads, tzaziki with dolmades, kebab, baklava, it’s all very similar to what my Syrian grandmother made, so I love it even more :)
Fave salad dressing? That’s a tough one. I love dressing! Probably honey mustard, or fresh caesar.
xo
Kris
mmmm. i love salads! they’re so versatile…SO many options!
greek, taco, chicken, beef, veggie, fruit, nuts, etc.!
i think my favorite dressing is probably fat free mango by annie’s!
xo.
that greek salad looks amazing…and yes I LOVE greek food! I want that for lunch :)
Love salads, love Greek food, so it’s no surprise that Greek salads are some of my favorites! This looks awesome—better than some of the ones I’ve had in restaurants! Hope you win!
Greek food makes me very happy. Your salad looks amazeballs!
LOVE Greek food!
My favorite dressing for salads is usually just oil & vinegar. Simple & distinct. When I want something a bit more — say for shredded carrots or something — homemade balsamic vinaigrette all the way.
YUM! When I have a life again I am going to make this salad!!!
I feel ripped off when I get salads while eating out. I feel like they skimp on the protein! So I think yours is worlds better.
I always make my own dressing. Its kind of weird but I like avocado, mustard, and some greek yogurt all blended in the magic bullet with some water to thin it out.
My moms family is israeli, so their food is very similar to greek food, only they dont break plates at weddings or whatever.
I love all of your serving bowls & dishes!!
Especially because they are so colorful :D
AWESOME looking hummus! One of my favorite foods for sure :)
I love Greek salad but w/ potatoe salad in it!! We get it at our favorite Italian restaurant, so maybe it’s not Greek at all but just what they call it. Thanks for posting your recipe for your salad meal. Can’t wait to try it!! YUM!! : )
I am not sure what my favorite dressing is. I do like Ranch, Honey Mustard or Poppy Seed for Spinach salad, and Aunt Annies Green Goddess Dressing.
YUM! I’ll just have THAT salad! :)
I love Greek food! You did it right lady! I’m actually going to a Greek fest this weekend and can’t wait to chow!
I love Greek food and this looks so good! And not too complicated with the ingredients list.
i get that all the time! or i order this soup at an italian place and it seriously has like the entire SEA in it. clams, squid, mussels, fish, shrimp etc and it’s SO FILLING. i’m like people, clearly your idea of caloric value is out hiding somewhere. salads can be quite a caloric punch! i LOVE LOVE LOVE greek food. fave dressing: something based with tahini or balsamic
I love SOME greek food – hummus, pita, falafel, but I’m not a huge fan of olives or feta so that ruins lots of good dishes for me:)
I like using hummus as salad dressing –kicks up the protein content too!
i eat a salad every day, never get sick of them and always jazz them up with tasty toppings!
you are so right that salads can be meals esp when you add healthy carbs like beans and healthy fats and protein like olive oil, almonds and grilled chicken! i LOVE that you made everything from scratch down to the marinade and teh salad dressing…gosh I wish I had some more time and i would be all over making that! i LOVE hummus, and as you know my dad is israeli so we are quite the hummus snobs in our house! I LOVE making it homemade and I LOVE greek food!
you really are the best wifey :)
Cute post, Janetha:) :)
That looks just delicious!
I never knew that’s how yo make tzatziki sauce! Awesome!
I’m not a huge Greek food eater, but I do love my hummus!
I love Greek food, although when we go out to eat, it’s not something we usually set out to eat. Dan is SO picky.
I don’t love olives, which are in alot of things, but I’ll endure :-)
1. to say i love greek food is an understatement! i studied abroad in Greece for 2.5 months this past spring quarter. you can check out the pictures http://rochellesgreetingsfromgreece.blogspot.com/ if you’re interested! there’s a lot of the food, and i highly recommend you try to go there sometime. the food there is infinitely better than Greek restaurants here :) (who would have thought that’d be possible?)
2. I usually use salsa, as weird as that is. Or a light Italian dressing.
You’re the best Janetha, I read your blog everyday!
I was just in Greece a little over a month ago for a few days with my mom and my aunt. I’m pretty sure the only thing my mom ate for dinner was Greek Salad. You should have seen the hunk of feta they plopped on top of the salad! Huge!
TIAGINE!! (that is “whats up” in greek!…not sure about my spelling though)
Wow you out did youself…everything looks great.
I am a huge fan of greek food, my dad’s bff was greek so his mother would always send us food!
I love Greek food. Lamb and chicken skewers are my favorite. Greek salad of course too!
that salad surely does look amazing! wish i had that on the docket for dinner tonight :)
Now THAT is an impressive salad!! I’ll have to use this recipe for the hummus, since unfortunately it’s like the only thing I like about Greek/Mediterranean food. I also don’t like Indian food. Yes, I am often mocked and humiliated for my food tastes. ;P
I absolutely love Greek food, especially chicken souvlaki salad. I even wrote about eating salads as entrees when out for dinner a few months ago and talked about my favorite chix souvlaki salad (at Georgia’s Deli in Seattle). One reason I love Greek food so much is that Greek joints tend to cook with olive oil instead of butter, and there are always healthy menu options with tons o’ flavor.
http://pieandply.blogspot.com/2010/05/pieholes-in-deference-to-and-defiance.html
My favorite salad dressing though? Lemon tahini 100%. The best store bought variety I’ve found is one called Lemon Goddess (?) that’s made by Drew’s.
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its amazing how that word “just” seems to carry so much judgement…
anyways, that salad looks like one hearty meal…anything with hummus gets the go ahead in my book.
ps i have the most insane foodbuzz countdown in my head…i actually forgot about my birthday this saturday because i was only looking forward to nov!!
Greek food is my favorite! Love me a big greek salad :)
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