I did a live cooking demonstration this past weekend for a health + fitness expo here in Charlotte. It was a lot of fun! I was super nervous at first – and I think it showed – but I warmed up as I went along and the crowd was really nice and supportive. And they LOVED the healthy snacks I made. (I did my sweet potato toast, no-bake chocolate chip cookie balls and creamy peanut butter yogurt dip.) And after last week’s craziness, I’ve got a week of lots of fun get togethers and play dates to look forward to, which is oh so welcome! Now, a question for you: Have you ever done a total 180 on a food? Something you thought you disliked and you came to really love it? A few years ago, I had a change of heart with olives. I’ve always loved olive oil, I occasionally had tapenade and thought it was pretty good, then my mother-in-law introduced me to Crock Pot Mediterranean Chicken and I realized I liked olives in that. Not long after that, we got a mix of specialty olives from a coworker whose husband was Greek and I found a few of those that I really loved. And now I’m all about the olives! My go-to grocery store has a very small olive bar selection and I’ll sometimes bring some home for us to snack on. Total turn-around! What has never changed though is my undying love for chopped salad. I brought you my Southwestern Chopped Salad and my Asian Chicken Chopped Salad, which are both totally addictive in their own ways. And today I’ve got a new one for you: my Mediterranean chopped salad. It’s got ALL the crunch from the romaine lettuce; tons of heartiness from the chick peas; big, bold flavors from the olives and peppers; cool, crisp diced cucumbers and a salty kick from the feta cheese. Seriously flavorful! You’ll be fighting to get a little bit of everything in each forkful. (And if you love these flavors like I do, check out my Mediterranean chickpea salad. So colorful and crunchy!)
Recipe Notes:
I use my homemade Italian dressing (with 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard added for a tangy version) but you can substitute with your favorite store-bought Italian dressing. I use peppadew or piquillo peppers - you might also find sweet small cherry peppers. You could substitute roasted red peppers if you prefer. Feel free to use your favorite kind of olive here. (I use kalamata olives.) I’ve used both a regular cucumber and an English hot house cucumber in this recipe before. Both are great so use whichever kind you prefer. You could also add chopped artichoke hearts if you love those.
Also, this recipe is vegetarian as is but you could easily add some grilled chicken, pork, fish or steak on top if you’d like. I usually serve this Mediterranean chopped salad with homemade flatbread for a full and filling vegetarian meal. You could also use store-bought flatbread or naan bread or serve it with pita chips. Or serve it by itself for a low-carb and gluten-free lunch or dinner salad. If you love chopped salads like I do, you’ve gotta give this one a try! Enjoy! XO, Kathryn This recipe is vegetarian as is but you could easily add some grilled chicken, pork, fish or steak on top. I use my homemade Italian dressing (with a tablespoon of Dijon mustard added for a tangy version) but you could substitute your favorite kind. I use peppadew or piquillo peppers. You might also find small sweet cherry peppers. You could substitute roasted red peppers if you prefer. Feel free to use your favorite kind of olive here. (I used kalamata.) I’ve used both a regular cucumber and an English hot house cucumber. Both are great, so use whichever you prefer. You can substitute homemade crock pot chickpeas for the can of chickpeas. You need about 1 ½ cups.
