another summer salad

I humbly present yet another salad for your consideration. The thing is, although many eschew the salad as rabbit food, I really enjoy salads. And it’s not just a former-vegetarian-aching-to-return thing, as others enjoy salads too. Even men, and even my husband. The trick is (surprise, surprise) to make it full of flavour and have loads of complimentary ingredients.

This one was inspired by the leftover olives from the penne puttanesca night. Here’s a quick and tasty greek salad, which, if the fridge is kept stocked of its staple ingredients, should be a flash to prepare:

greek salad
(serves 2 equally)

10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red pepper, chopped
10 sprays of Fry Light olive oil spray
100 g cucumber, sliced lengthways
10 black olives, chopped
Fresh parsley, chopped
50 g (2 oz) reduced fat feta, crumbled
½ a tin of chickpeas
Lemon juice, to taste
Seasonal salad leaves

To prepare, just add all of the ingredients in a bowl. If you have a bit of time ahead, marinating the peppers in the olive oil and lemon is nice, but if you don’t it’s still great.

Serve with fresh fruit if you desire (I used plums – they’re just starting to come into season. But strawberries are a great June choice as well.

Calories (per serving): 273.

A quick note: the protein in the cheese and chickpeas is vital to this lunch dish holding you over until the late afternoon.