Salads are one of the important steps towards health and an integral part of any meal. The benefits of their use cannot be overestimated. Nutrition based on vegetable salads, even with the inclusion of boiled meat, normalizes all body systems, helps get rid of toxins and reduces weight. In addition, plant components are the most natural for the body and have a positive effect on the human body as a whole.
The advent of Greek salad
One of the “right” salads recommended for the diet menu is Greek. How to make a Greek salad to make the dish useful? It is necessary to add components that will bring the necessary minerals and vitamins to the body.
However, initially the appearance of a mixture of vegetables as a salad was not associated with recovery. The recipe, which arose in the taverns of Athens, was in a hurry to acquaint the citizens and guests of the capital with an inexpensive, light and refreshing dish. Much later, salad began to be included in the diet menu.
Main ingredients
How to make Greek salad, few know. However, most fans of the dish are confident in the positive effect on the body of each individual component. The composition of a traditional Mediterranean dish includes the following useful ingredients: cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, olives, cheese.
The benefits of vegetables
Cucumber, consisting of fiber and the so-called cucumber water, replenishes the amount of minerals. Thanks to tartronic acid, the transition of carbohydrates to fats is slowed down. The product is also used in various diets as a mild diuretic.
Tomatoes, the peel of which contains a large percentage of dietary fiber, contribute to the stable functioning of the intestine. Fresh vegetables have powerful antioxidant properties. They have a small calorie content, so they are often used in the fight against excess weight. The presence of calcium, zinc and magnesium in the vegetable contributes to a healthy diet, and the presence of vitamins gives an energy boost to the body.
Sweet pepper contains the largest amount of minerals and vitamins from all components of Greek salad. It is noteworthy that the color of pepper distinguishes it from counterparts in the number of certain substances. So, red pepper is the leader in vitamin C, and yellow contains a maximum of potassium. Vitamins of group B allow you to cope with depression, add strength and optimism to people who have decided to deprive themselves of a mass of caloric pleasures for the sake of a slim body. Helps pepper and speed up the metabolic process in the body.
Choose a salad
The leaves of the Iceberg and Romen salads contain a whole mineral complex, including beneficial folic acid. Fiber removes toxins from the body. Eating leaves improves blood quality, increases hemoglobin and relieves blood of bad cholesterol.
The product also fights venous problems and cleanses blood vessels. With dietary nutrition, this type of greens is indispensable because it contains a minimum of calories and a maximum of water. How to make a Greek salad and what type of leaves is preferable to use, everyone decides for himself. The choice in favor of "Romain" or "Iceberg" will not reduce the usefulness, but only slightly change the taste of the dish.
Favorite cheese
Feta - cheese made from sheep or goat milk, carries all the beneficial properties of natural dairy products. This is calcium, which has a positive effect on the skeletal system, and riboflavin, which improves reproductive function, and B vitamins, which contribute to the proper functioning of the nervous system.
Of course, the high calorie content of the product will not contribute to weight loss. Sometimes the hostess can replace feta with other less calorie types of cheeses, and the households will enjoy the new version of the old recipe. What cheese to make Greek salad with, each family decides on their own. Only use in combination with herbal products will replace one dietary meal or become a good addition to a dinner dish.
Family olive
Olives consist mainly of coarse fiber, which helps cleanse the intestines and speeds up metabolism. It is worth noting the content in the composition of the product, among other useful substances and minerals, of vitamin E. It prevents the aging of cells, improves their regeneration, maintains nails and hair in excellent condition. Great benefits of olives and to strengthen the immune system.
Healthy sauces
How to make Greek salad correctly, and which dressing to use, must be decided in advance. The classic recipe offers olive oil. You can experiment by adding yogurt or sour cream. This will slightly increase the calorie content, but will fundamentally change the taste. Some food lovers use ordinary sunflower oil, while gourmets prefer balsamic vinegar.
Today, store shelves are full of different types of sauces. On sale there is even a separate dressing for this particular dish. There are countless tips for making Greek salad at home. In search of the best, experiments in the kitchen are always permissible. The restaurant menu differs from the ordinary by certain rules. Therefore, cooks prefer to make the sauce on their own, using not only liquid dressings, but also a lot of different spices.
Dish options
There are many options and recipes for making Greek salad. But any interpretation of the dish can not radically differ from the classics. Usually replace or add one, in extreme cases, two products. A feature of the preparation of all salad options is the slicing of products immediately before use, which will allow you to serve a mixture of vegetables in the most attractive way.
Classic greek salad
When preparing dishes that are close to those that appeared in Athens, they rely on the knowledge and experience of Mediterranean chefs. Therefore, they do not save on products and use:
- Two large thick-skinned juicy tomatoes. In winter, when vegetables are not particularly juicy, it is better to take medium-sized Cherry tomatoes.
- Two elastic cucumbers. Again, in the cold season there is more taste in the long representatives of this species, and in the summer you can use any option.
- One sweet red fleshy pepper, though, several colors will add brightness to the salad. Therefore, it is more interesting to take two halves of peppers of different colors, for example, red and yellow, or red and green.
- One head of onion, preferably sweet red.
- A small jar of canned olives. In the classic version, these are pitted olives.
- One hundred grams of feta or fetax cheese.
- Half ripe lemon.
- 40 grams of olive oil.
- Black pepper, oregano and salt to taste.
It is recommended to copy the dish slicing from the presented photo. How to make a Greek salad, it becomes clear at a glance. The main thing in the preparation is coarse grinding of ingredients and sprinkling with sauce a few minutes before serving.
Start cooking salad by washing, drying and slicing vegetables. At the same time, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers should be chopped in the form of small rectangles, and cut onions in half rings. Put vegetables on a plate or a special dish, pepper and salt them. In a separate container, prepare a mixture of oil with oregano and pour the resulting dressing into a salad. Stir all the ingredients. Sprinkle on top with cheese, diced, garnish with quarters of olives and sprinkle with lemon juice.
Salad in a salad
A classic dish takes on an interesting look if the bottom of the plate is covered with leaves of any green salad. The ingredients in this case are slightly modified, but the benefits of eating salad are not diminished at all. The presented recipe (with photo), how to make a Greek salad, explains not only the sequence of laying out the crushed components. The bright colors of the dish and the special geometric slicing evoke a desire to please loved ones with homemade Greek salad.
For a salad you will need:
- mix of 6 leaves of lettuce “Iceberg” and “Romen”;
- 3 ripe tomatoes;
- 3 small cucumbers without skin;
- 1.5 sweet peppers;
- 1 head of red onion;
- 100 grams feta cheese;
- 100 grams of olives;
- 3 tbsp. l olive oil;
- 1 tbsp. l lemon juice;
- salt, pepper, oregano.
First, mix the lettuce leaves into the dishes prepared for the salad. Then mix the sauce by adding lemon juice to olive oil. Refuel aside. Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are ground in the same way, for example, in the form of squares or rectangles. Onions are cut into rings, olives in circles. Season vegetables with sauce, add your favorite seasonings. The resulting mixture is placed on lettuce leaves, after which feta cheese, sliced in the form of rhombuses or squares, is laid on top.
Greek salad with feta cheese
Feta is not the only cheese that cooks prefer by experimenting in dishes. Often it is replaced with other types of cheese. Widespread recipe for Greek salad with feta cheese. How to make this version of the salad to make it tasty, and what are its secrets, cooks share. The first and most important rule: simply replacing feta with feta cheese will not work. It must be soaked in water or milk for several hours. In addition, it is recommended to add chicken fillet. So, for cooking you will need:
- 2 chicken fillets;
- 2 tomatoes;
- 2 cucumbers;
- 4 sheets of Iceberg lettuce;
- 1 clove of garlic;
- 15 olives;
- 20 ml of lemon juice;
- 40 ml of olive oil;
- oregano or basil;
- salt;
- pepper.
Marinate chicken slices with salt, pepper and garlic for 2 hours. At the same time put steep feta cheese. After the time has passed, fry the chicken until golden brown and put on a paper towel to remove excess fat. Remove the cheese from the liquid and also dry.
Grind cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, olives. Put chicken on top and pour olive oil with lemon juice. Then add your favorite spices. Start tasting the dishes.
This salad option will receive good reviews from all family members. Advantages are the beauty of the dish, its taste, usefulness and profitability. It will fit perfectly into both the ordinary and the holiday menu. Guests will appreciate the hostess’s experimental abilities and will definitely ask how to make Greek salad with feta cheese.
Choosing the Right Salad
If the preparation of the dish is associated with getting rid of excess weight and is one of the meals on the diet menu, the specialist will recommend the Greek version with lettuce. For lovers of Mediterranean cuisine, a classic recipe is preferable. If you want to surprise relatives or guests, the choice falls on Greek with feta cheese and chicken.
The main advice from cooks on how to make a Greek salad is in a nutshell: delicious and beautiful. Perhaps this is the most correct recommendation in the preparation of any dish.