Chopped Greek Salad - Kicking Regular Salad's Butt

There is something about trying to stuff a forkful of large, wilted leaves into my mouth that bores the heck out of me. Dressing bores me. I find tomato chunks tiresome. Slivered almonds are tedious.

And don't think I haven't tried to get along with the lettuce! I've wrangled all kinds of leafy greens, shook up a million kinds of dressing, and put a great deal of thought into how one can add interesting textures to the salad plate, but it has done me little good.

Theoretically, I feel that the act of eating raw plant foods should be a refreshing and exciting experience. I'm educated enough about the Raw Food Movement to know that the enzymatic properties and protein quality of raw food is certainly something from one could benefit. But.... I hate salad.

What an issue! Well, after much contemplation, it occurs to me that the problem resides, not with the ingredients, but rather, with the way I've been building salads. I like to chew my food. I like it to feel substantial and filling. I like the flavors to blend, to be in close proximity, and to feel like an indulgence. It is for this reason that the bland, traditional dinner salad fails to pique my interest.

And as if the Food Network decided to use its divine culinary power to answer my prayers, Giada De Laurentiis introduced me to the chopped salad with her California-Style Chopped Salad with Shrimp. Chopped salads fix everything that can go wrong with a traditional salad: they're satisfying, they're interesting to the last bite, and they promote create veggie combos! Here is my new favorite chopped salad recipe:  

Chopped Greek-Inspired Salad

(Adapted from this Chicago Sun-Times Recipe)

This delicious recipe can serves 4 as an entree, and 6 as a side dish. If featuring this salad as a main course, consider adding some grilled tofu to up the protein content.

INGREDIENTS:

SALAD

3 Cups Red Cabbage, Shredded

2 Yellow Pepperoncini, stemmed, seeded and diced

2 Small Cucumbers, peeled and diced

2 Large Tomatoes, diced

2 Large Green Onions, coarsely chopped

2-3 Oz. Crumbled Feta Cheese

10 Pitted Kalamata Olives, chopped

1 Garlic Clove, diced finely

DRESSING

3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 1/2 Tablespoons Agave Nectar or Honey

Salt and Pepper to Taste

DIRECTIONS:

Place red cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt (to tenderize).

Add pepperoncini, cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, feta, olives and garlic.

Combine salt and pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil in a blender (or magic bullet) and blend until fully incorporated.

Serve with fresh, warm pita bread, and cucumber-yogurt sauce. How much easier could it get?

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Cups

Serving size: 2 cups

Calories: 226

Carbohydrates: 17.91 grams

Fiber: 3.13 grams

Sugar: 12.63 grams

Fat: 16.26 grams

Cholesterol: 15 milligrams

Protein: 5.06 grams