Greek Salad with Tzatziki Dressing

I actually was going to share this recipe last week, but I've been trying to perfect the dressing. This is a twist on the Greek Salad, generally Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and olives with feta and some sort of vinaigrette. In this salad, the feta, cucumbers and vinaigrette have been replaced with a creamy tzatziki dressing.

I've been making this salad (as I make most salads) for just one. But usually I mix up a large batch of dressing and then dress the salads as I make them. In this case, however, I made a larger batch of the dressing's base (the tzatziki) and then mixed up the dressing as I made the salads. You'll see that reflected in the recipe. I haven't tried making larger batches, so I'm not sure how it holds up in the fridge.

The recipe below (with the exception of the dressing, which I changed a few times) reflects the salad I made most often. Last night when I took the picture, I added a bit of chopped red sweet pepper. I had used up all of the red tomato and was left with a yellow one. The salad just needed a bit more color. It was a great addition, though not necessary. Feel free to play around with the veggies based on what you have on hand.

With the exception of the olives and lemon juice, this recipe is completely local. Sunday's Locavore Challenge was to use local fats and oils. The tzatziki (which was made from local ingredients) plays the role of the oil in this dressing. It's kind of cheating, I guess. I didn't really go out of my way to seek out local butter or oil in order to do my cooking. It defeated the point a bit, but it is one way to think outside the box when it comes to using local ingredients.

Greek Salad with Tzatziki Dressing

2-3 handfuls salad greens
1 small tomato (or half a large tomato), chopped
about 8 kalamata olives, torn into large pieces
1 T tzatziki (recipe below)
1/2 T lemon juice
salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a salad bowl, toss together the lettuce, tomato and olives.

In a small bowl, mix together the tzatziki and lemon juice. Add extra salt and pepper to taste. Taste the dressing and adjust the acidity if necessary. Pour over the salad and toss.

Serves 1

Tzatziki
Adapted from The Clueless Vegetarian


1 cucumber, shredded
salt
1 1/2 c plain yogurt (or 3/4 c Greek yogurt)
1/2 T chopped mint leaves
1 clove garlic, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper


If you're using plain yogurt, pour the yogurt into a fine-meshed strainer lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Place the strainer over a bowl and put it in the fridge. Let drain for at least 2 hours, or overnight. If you're using Greek yogurt, skip this step.


Shred the cucumber using the largest holes on a box grater. Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let it drain for at least an hour (you can also just do the same thing you did with the yogurt and let it rest in the fridge overnight), After the cucumbers have sat for at least and hour, squeeze out as much water as possible. 


Place the cucumber in a bowl. Add the strained yogurt, garlic and mint to the bowl. Mix. Taste. Adjust seasoning (add salt add pepper). Pop the dip in the fridge. Use it as a dip or thin it out to use as a dressing.


Makes about 1 cup