Year Round Greek Salad
BellaFina™ peppers may be used to create a wide variety of recipes, from appetizers to main dishes. BellaFina peppers are often used in salads, vegetables trays with or without dip, cooked in stews and sauces and stuffed with meat, cheese and grains.
Grown on the vine in the field, BellaFina peppers are a great source of vitamins and nutrients. They are low calorie, fat free, sodium free and high in Vitamin C.
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
Creamy sun dried tomato dressing
6 T lemon juice or red wine vinegar
½ C olive oil, divided
½ t maple syrup
2 T water (plus more as needed)
½ t dried oregano (plus more to finish)
¼ C loosely packed crumbled feta
¼ t kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Salad:
1 English cucumber, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and sliced thick
½ medium red onion, sliced thin
3 red Bellafina peppers, cut into short strips
24 pitted kalamata olives, halved
½ T olive oil
2 medium grapefruit, peeled, cut into wedges (membranes removed), and chopped
¾ C cubed feta
Cooked quinoa, for serving as an entree (optional)
Make It:
Dressing (makes 1 cup):
In a blender, puree lemon juice (or vinegar), ¼ cup olive oil, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons water, oregano, feta, salt, and plenty of pepper. With blender running, drizzle in remaining ¼ cup oil. Thin with an extra tablespoon or two of water, as desired (I added one tablespoon), and adjust seasoning to taste. Refrigerate until needed. Before serving, allow to rest at room temperature, as the dressing may begin to solidify in the fridge.
Salad:
In a mixing bowl, toss cucumber, red onion, Bellafina peppers, olives, the olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Add grapefruit and feta and mix gently (with your hands or two utensils) until just combined, being careful not to break up the feta cubes too much. Serve alone or over quinoa, drizzled generously with the dressing, and sprinkled with a bit of dried oregano and black pepper.
Notes:
Quinoa, if using, will cook in about the time it takes to prepare the entire salad. Toss warm quinoa with a little good olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Slightly adapted from a recipe from naturalcomfortkitchen.com