This is the delicious Greek village salad I made today. I like to call it “The Grecian Goddess Greek Village Salad” It is one of the staples of a healthy Mediterranean diet, known for contributing to living a healthier and longer life. Perfect to eat so you can feel and look like a Greek god or goddess! I just love the sweet crunch of the red peppers, the refreshing cucumbers, the succulent vine ripe tomatoes, the creamy, crumbly feta and the Kalamata olives that have been ripened in the Mediterrean sun. For dressing I use lemon, extra virgin olive oil and oregano. In the US, restaurants will often serve an American variation of the Greek salad which includes lettuce, but this “Horiatiki Salata”, (Village Salad) which is most common in Greece doesn’t include lettuce and is my favorite. I remember being mezmerized the first time I watched my sweetheart Jim a.k.a. Dimitrios (A Greek-American) easily put this together while we talked in less than five minutes. Of course, I was delighted when I learned he knew how to cook a few Mediterranean dishes himself and that we both enjoy the cuisine. We love Greek salads so much that we eat one every day – and depending on the availability of produce if you want to create a larger salad with some greens you can add romaine, field greens or spinach. I like to use baby romaine which is a nice, soft lettuce.

Below is the recipe for a quick and delicious Greek Village Salad. For a total mini Greek vacation play Greek music from “Zorba”, dance your way to the table. As you eat your Greek salad visualize yourself sitting in taverna on a Greek island overlooking the Mediterranean sea. Opa! You can also travel to Greece with the video, DVD I hosted called a Greek Islands Destination Cooking Class, selected as #1 by NY Times’ about.com Greek food Guide. To order of view the video go to my website www.moderndaygoddess.com and www.celebrategreece.com.

3-4 tomatoes quarted
6 oz feta cheese in cubes 1 medium sized cucumber sliced and quartered
1 sliced onion (optional)
2 medium sized red peppers sliced
1/2 cup-1 cup Kalamata olives
3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
sprinkle of dried, ground oregano,
squeeze of 1/2 lemon
garlic salt to taste

Mix bite size sliced ingredients, olives and toss with olive oil, oregano, lemon and garlic salt to taste. Add feta cheese on top and serve.

If you pass this recipe on. Please credit the recipe to its creator – Cynthia Daddona. Cynthia is the author Diary of A Modern Day Goddess® – a guide to creating a life that nurtures your body, mind and soul who also hosts Romancing the Table™: a celebration of life, love and food on the voiceamerica network. Efharisto! (Thank you in Greek!) For recipes and photos go to her Romancing the Table food blog or to hear her replays of her radio show go to www.ModernDayGoddess.com She can be contacted at CynthiaDaddona@aol.com. To learn more about Greek cuisine and to see a clip or order A Greek Island Destination Cooking Class (DVD/video) Cynthia hosted in Santorini, Greece go to www.CelebrateGreece.com or www.RomancingTheTable.com.
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