
Here’s a simple Greek Salad for two simple reasons. The first reason is I’m trying to present meals that are more vegetable-centric. What, in our new vernacular, is referred to as plant-based eating. This vegetable heavy menu isn’t quite the same as vegan or even vegetarian. It just means that meat doesn’t take center of the plate importance at every meal. It’s what some would call “semi-vegetarian” or more traditionally “flexitarian” because it involves following a generally vegetarian diet that includes cheese, meat and fish sparingly. I call it plant-positive eating.
There’s another term for this this style of eating and it’s not new. It’s called the Mediterranean Diet and it’s simply the traditional way people in Greece and other countries of the region have eaten for centuries. Though not on the advice of health experts or environmental scientists – but by necessity. Meat was scarce and home cooks made necessity the mother of deliciousness.
Which brings me to the second reason for this simple Greek Salad.
I’ve been doing a bit of research into the traditional Mediterranean diet myself. Though not on the advice of health experts or environmental scientists. But because, as I promised at the beginning of this pandemic, Ken and I plan to spend three months (April, May, and June of 2022) in the Cyclades on the Greek Island of Sifnos. It seems the perfect place for plant-positive eating and this is one excited flexitarian!

Simple Greek Salad
One thing my research as shown me is that Mediterranean cooks seem united in their affection for raw vegetables. They appear at almost every meal either thickly sliced as an accompaniment to the meal or assembled into a salad and served on its own.
It’s that salad I want to talk about today. If there’s one dish that conjures up the image of a Greek island for me it’s the simple Greek Salad. The pairing of sweet tomatoes and tangy sheep’s milk cheese is a flavor combination so perfect that Zeus himself probably invented it.
I plan to make this salad my Greek island staple. I can see myself in a white-washed Cycladic house overlooking the sea. I’ll be barefoot and there will still be sand between my toes. With wet hair and salt water on my lips I’ll toss together sweet juicy chunks of tomatoes, large slices of ice cold cucumbers, and a thick slab of feta cheese the size of my palm. I say slab because I’ve learned not to crumble the cheese but to serve it as simply as they do in Greece – in one large slice. It sounds like the perfect recipe for my Greek life. GREG

Gosh, Greg! Congrats on your upcoming sojourn. BTW, I have always preferred Greek salads with a big slice of Feta atop, rather than the crumbles that seem to have taken over in this country.
Wow, three months! That’s exciting! This does sound like a delicious and simple way to eat while you’re there, but I have a feeling there are going to be a ton of culinary adventures while you’re there!
Who doesn’t love some good Greek salad? (Spoiler alert: I don’t know such weird people.) This looks great — beautiful presentation!
I love every thing about the salad, Greg. It’s great preparation for your trip. (Yes, I’m a wee bit jealous.)
Absolutely love the presentation, the slab really makes the dish very special. Those tomatoes look exceptional too, sadly our tomatoes are terrible this time of year. We’ll be partaking in the Mediterranean diet on the Mediterranean soon, can’t wait to try this salad.
Well, wow!
I can’t wait to read about your three months in Greece, my only trip there lasted 10 days and I loved it. Have fun!
First of all, how exciting that you’ll be in Greece for three months, wow. Secondly, I love this salad–one of my favorites every summer but I’ve never enjoyed it on the Greek islands. Looking forward to your highlights!
Gah, I’m so glad you didn’t go on and on about your minimalistic kitchen in Santa Barbara in this post…. Wah. And now you’re talking about the Cyclades???!!! I’ve only heard that word in a Jimmy Buffet song!!! Ah, the good life. Your lives have really opened up, and you deserve sandy toes. And this salad! Can’t wait to get posts from your white washed Cycladic house!
Simple, healthy, wholesome. If you are what you eat, I haven’t been eating enough of this! Love dishes like this — and during the warmer months, we have something like this for dinner at least a couple of times a week (more soup at this time of the year). Really nice — thanks.