Beat the Heat

GO GREEK this week with Greek Pita Chip Salad

This light satisfying salad is loaded with flavor not only from veggies and herbs but a vinaigrette made of red wine vinegar, garlic and olive oil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to the  vinaigrette which takes the edge off acidity from tomatoes and peppers.  Store bought fat free Greek vinaigrette can be substituted for homemade vinaigrette. It's all ready under 15 minutes. Lots of flexibility with the ingredients and so perfect when your garden is bursting with tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. The recipe called for red peppers but I found using yellow peppers were more of a contrast and provided same great taste. Pita chips add extra crunch and texture to the salad. 
Recipe adapted from averiecooks.com and serves four. 
Salad Ingredients:

• 2 cups diced tomatoes, seeded if desired
• 1-1/2 cups diced English cucumber
• 1-1/2 cups diced mini red peppers, seeded or mini yellow peppers
• 4 cups green salad mixture (I used a combination of romaine and spinach)
• 1/2-1/3 cup crumbled feta (I used a garlic and herb variety) 
• 1/2 cup sliced olives
• 1/3 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley or regular parsley, finely minced
• crumbled store bought pita chips
• Optional 2-3 TB. fresh mint, finely minced

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 TB. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp, Italian seasoning
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp. each Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. sugar

Salad Directions:

• Place all salad ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine.  Add in crumbled pita chips right before drizzling vinaigrette.

Vinaigrette:
To a glass jar with a lid add all ingredients. and shake to combine. Taste and make necessary flavor tweaks. Drizzle over salad and toss to combine.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY
-Ernest Hemingway (July 21,1899-July 2,1961)
American novelist, short story writer, journalist
"You see, I am trying in all my stories to get the feeling of the actual life across - not to just depict life - or criticize it - but to actually make it alive. So that when you have read something by me, you actually experience the thing. You can't do this without putting in the bad and the ugly as well as what is beautiful."