This style of a “garden salad” is my absolute favorite. The way my mom makes it, with only 4 ingredients (tomato, onion, oil and salt), always astonishes me because of its simplicity yet superb flavor. After you’re done with all the veggies, it’s a tradition to dip bread into the left over juices that the tomatoes, onions and so on released. This type of salad always reminds me of home. I hope you all give it a try and love it just as much.

* If you purchase anything through any of the links I provide in my posts, I may receive some compensation, at absolutely NO cost to you! Thank you for helping me do what I love, and that is teaching you all to cook.*

INGREDIENTS :

• Tomatoes (kumato, cherry, beef steak, Roma, any kind you want)
• 1/2 of a medium Red Onion
• 1 cubic inch of Feta (I prefer using in brine feta and adding some brine to my dressing, you can opt out the brine)
• A couple of sprigs of Parsley or Cilantro (optional, but very recommended)
• Zest of 1 Lemon
• Juice of half a Lemon
• Splash of Oil, roughly 1/4 cup (I prefer avocado oil or olive oil)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Sprinkle of Sugar (optional, but will cut the acidity of the tomatoes and lemon)
• Splash of Balsamic Vinegar, roughly 2-3 TB (tablespoons)

STEPS :

1. Slice your tomatoes into bite sized pieces. I like to use cherry tomatoes and slicing them in half or using medium sized juicy tomatoes and slicing them into quarters or so. You can use virtually any tomato you want, but I prefer the juicier varieties so that they release more of that liquid you can soak up with a soft piece of bread later. Add to your salad bowl.
2. Slice your onions into thin strips, like half moons. You can also dice them if you prefer. I like using red onions or white onions for fresh/raw salads because they don’t have the same bitter kick as yellow onions normally do. However if yellow onions are all you have, use them. Shallots are another great option if you don’t have onions on hand. Add to your salad bowl with your sliced tomatoes.
3. Crumble your feta and drop it into your salad bowl. I prefer feta in brine and adding a tiny splash of brine to my veggies to elevate the dressing.
4. Cut up your parsley or cilantro and add this to your salad bowl. At this time, I also like to zest my lemon and squeeze my half lemon into the bowl. Then top with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and move on to the final touches.
5. After your lemon is zested and half the juice is squeezed, top everything with a nice swirl of oil, I would estimate this to be about 1/4 cup of oil, and then do a quick swirl pour of balsamic vinegar. My personal favorite brand is Giuseppe Cremonini Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. If you do not have balsamic vinegar on hand, but you do have red wine vinegar, go ahead and add a splash of that and mix everything together. Allow to sit for a few minutes for that dressing to marinade your tomatoes, onions and feta and enjoy!

*If you want to cut the acidity down a little bit, but still have that acidic flavor profile, add a pinch of sugar!*

Cut your tomatoes into bite size pieces.

Slice or dice your onions and add to your bowl with cut tomatoes.

Crumble up and add your feta cheese. If you have feta in brine, add a splash of brine to your bowl as well to intensity the flavor of your dressing for this salad.

Chop your herbs and add to the bowl. Parsley, cilantro or even basil are great additions here.

Zest your lemon and squeeze in juice from half a lemon into your salad bowl.

Sprinkle with a little salt, pepper and drizzle in some oil. Roughly about 1/4 cup of oil is plenty.

Add a light swirl/drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I prefer the Giuseppe Cremonini brand of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

Mix everything together and allow a few minutes for all the flavors to marinate together and dig in! Don’t forget to soak up all the dressing juices later with a nice soft piece of bread. My mom and I always fight on who gets to dip into the dressing whenever I am back at home.

LINKS TO SOME PRODUCTS I LOVE FROM THIS RECIPE:

Giuseppe Cremonini Balsamic Vinegar – https://amzn.to/3UVUX67

Glass bowls – https://amzn.to/4hVxf3A

Avocado Oil – https://amzn.to/4i0hDft

Lemon Zester – https://amzn.to/40UFCXl