Greek Salad

This is my version of the famous Greek salad. It's quite basic - the only unusual ingredient is balsamic vinegar. You could omit this if you want but I think it goes well with everything. I also added some dried basil and oregano, but if you have fresh basil - I highly recommend using it instead. 

Greek Salad

Juice of 1 lemon
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
salt & pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
1 head (450g) your favourite lettuce (I used Iceberg), chopped
4 plum tomatoes, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 can (110g drained) black pitted olives, sliced
100-150g feta cheese, crumbled

1) Throw everything in a bowl and mix to combine. Serve immediately.

Recipe by collecting memories

Creamy Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt Feta Dressing

Pasta dishes have always been my favourite ones. It's because pasta is extremely versatile and you can think of thousands of yummy dishes to make with it. One of my latest experiments was this creamy pasta salad. What is good about it, is that despite being amazingly delicious, it is also healthy. The dressing is made with greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
P.S. it is even better the next day after being refrigerated overnight. Enjoy!

Creamy Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt Feta Dressing

200g ditalini pasta, cooked and drained
1 can sweet corn
1 large tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, sliced
55g (handful) of black olives, halved
1/2 head lettuce (Iceberg), chopped
75g mixed baby leaves, chopped
salt & pepper

Greek Yogurt Feta Dressing

100g Feta cheese
300g/ (a little more than 1 cup) greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried dill
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp lemon juice

1) In a large bowl, combine together all the ingredients for the salad. Set aside.

2) For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to make a smooth paste. Alternatively, you can simply put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix everything by hand.

3) Pour the dressing onto the salad and mix until evenly distributed. Keep in refrigerator.

Recipe by collecting memories

Rice and Roasted Vegetable Salad

I had the idea of making rice salad for a long time. Many years ago, I have tasted something like this and since then I was planning to make it myself. This dish is really delicious and can be eaten as a main or side. If you are not into vegetarian dishes, feel free to add some meat. I think next time I'll add some chicken but honestly I prefer it meatless. It was easy to create this recipe because whatever you add into it - it's okay. That's why I like it. To make the salad more fragrant and delicious, I decided to roast vegetables. It takes more time but I believe it's worth it. Of course, I'm sure you can skip this. If you do so, just toss everything together.

P.S. It's a perfect dish for spring!

100g rice + 1 tsp salt

1 carrot + salt, dried basil, pepper
5 medium mushrooms
1 1/4 cup chopped pumpkin + pinch salt; 1/2 tsp dried basil; 1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 red pepper
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 onion
3/4 cup canned green peas
285g canned corn
 For the sauce:
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
coriander seeds & green onion

1. Cook rice until done with some salt. Drain them well and set aside.
2. Chop carrot and season with some salt, dried basil and pepper. Pour a little of olive oil into your frying pan and saute carrots until softer. Then increase heat and roast until lightly browned.
3. Chop mushrooms and roast in your pan with some olive oil until golden brown. Repeat the same with pumpkin and red pepper.
4. In a frying pan, roast chopped onion.
5. Mix together the onion, carrot, red pepper, mushrooms, pumpkin, garlic.
6. Add peas and corn. Add rice. Mi everything well.
7. In a separate bowl, mix together honey, dijon mustard, olive oil, vinegar. Add some salt and pepper. Pour the sauce onto rice mixture and mix well. Sprinkle some coriander seeds and green onion on top.