Chopped Greek Salad with Pita Chip Croutons

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Last Tuesday all I wanted to eat was chocolate. And cookies. And drink wine. So that’s what I did.

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I was stressed out, tired and apparently thought that eating any form of sugar I could get my hands on was going to make me feel better. Well, it didn’t. At the end of the night I felt like the cracked out sugar mama that I was. Shocker, right?

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I woke up the next morning with a sugar hangover the size of Dolly Parton’s…….hair. I worked out twice on Wednesday and ate this salad for lunch and dinner. By mid day I was starting to feel a bit better.

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I haven’t posted that many salads on the blog. And it’s not because we don’t eat them, we eat a lot of them but I guess in the back of my sugar coated brain, I think lemon bars and chocolate cherry brownies are so much more worthy of your time. I mean who wants to read about salad when you can look at pictures of brown butter apple cake?

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But you know what? This salad is worthy. In fact, it’s soooooo worthy. We eat some resemblance of this salad a few times a month. I make the dressing by the quart and I almost always have the ingredients on hand to make it. Sometimes I throw in a handful of garbanzo beans or leftover diced chicken but the veg usually stays the same.

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Chopped romaine with some spinach and/or arugula for good measure, chopped peppers, tomato, sweet onion, cucumber, green olives and some crumbled feta cheese. I happened to have some pita bread that was going stale so I toasted it up to make some croutons. It’s a winner of a salad and will fill you up without leaving you wanting something more.

I couldn’t help but smile at this last picture. As I sat down to eat lunch, I grabbed a baking book to read while I ate. Just keeping it real, folks!

Chopped Greek Salad with Pita Chip Croutons

For the croutons:

  • 2 pieces pita bread, cut into 1/2-inch squares
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. In a medium bowl, toss the pita chips with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely. *Croutons can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container for up to three days.

For the Greek Vinaigrette:

  • 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 heaping teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2/3 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepepr

Place all the ingredients except salt and pepper in a quart size glass mason jar. Screw the lid on tightly and shake to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and shake again. Dressing can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks.

For the Salad:

  • 1 head chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 large handful fresh spinach and/or arugula
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, cut into thirds
  • 10 green olives, cut in half
  • 1/4 english cucumber, diced
  • 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
  • 2-3 tablespoons greek vinaigrette

In a large bowl, toss all ingredients for the salad together. Adjust quantities to suit your taste. Enjoy!