Easy Greek-Style Summer Salad

With all the heat and humidity of summer in full swing come August, I’m in the habit of making refreshing yet hearty salads as the base of many meals. I love salads all year round – they’re just especially awesome around this time! Today I’m sharing a recipe for one I enjoy frequently, my Greek-style summer salad that incorporates feta cheese and dolmades (grape leaves filled with rice, vegetables, and olive oil). I tend to use the Frankly Fresh dolmades sold at Costco but they’re sold in most grocery stores! I’ve featured it in many WIAW posts, so regular readers will find it familiar. It’s easy to toss together in five minutes and pleasing to the eye as well as the palate, and contains plenty of fresh veggies, healthy fats, carbs and protein to fuel a summer on the go. 

 

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WIAW #21: Sandwiches to Sashimi

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Welcome back to What I Ate Wednesday! I know I missed last week – it was actually the first Wednesday I hadn’t posted since March, which is crazy. The fact that I’ve been blogging for almost 8 months and doing WIAW for 5 is unbelievable. You know what else is hard to believe? Last Wednesday I was sitting in Day 2 of the bar exam, and now I am free 🙂 So without further ado, yesterday’s eats await…

 

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WIAW #17: Summer Salads, Seafood & Sundaes

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Rabbit, rabbit. Okay now, welcome to the first WIAW of July! Studying for the bar means less time for kitchen creativity. But I still managed to squeeze in lots of summery eats to say farewell to June yesterday and usher in July, from salads to seafood to a scrumptious sundae. My day began with a pre-run snack, which was relatively small. Just a muffin and some blueberries with half a mug of Green Mountain Blueberry coffee. I was only planning to run 5-6 miles and wanted to get out the door. Usually I’d skip the snack for a morning like this, but for some reason I woke up with my stomach growling and knew it wouldn’t be a good idea.

 

Muffin and coffee

 

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Sunny Sunday ramblings and a scrumptious scramble

I hope everyone is having a lovely Eastover weekend, filled with family, friends, food, and fun (Easter + Passover = Eastover. It’s the new spring edition of Chrismukkah). For me, a satisfying Saturday gave way to a sunny Sunday, making this a perfect couple of days. It was also perfectly alliterative…yes, I’m still at it with the S’s! I’m on a roll after sharing Sasha’s story with you yesterday. Anyway, yesterday was sunny but extremely windy, so while my run was in a pretty green Central Park, it wasn’t exactly picture perfect. I literally had to hold on to my hat! This morning’s walk was much more peaceful, though when the wind is crazy it does feel like a bit of an adventure.

NP on Wednesday morning required a headband and gloves...this weekends workout was short sleeves and shorts!

NP on Wednesday morning required a headband and gloves…this weekends workout was short sleeves and shorts!

I did 9 miles at an easy pace, the wind insistent but stopping short of blowing me down. With 5 miles on Tuesday, 6 and change on Wednesday (4 at November Project + 1 and a bit there and back), and 6 on Friday, my grand total mileage for the week was just about 26.2. If only I could make up my mind to commit to that in one day – I’m getting there! For now, I ran against the wind with a smile, and a squint when the leaves and sediment swirled up too close. I especially enjoyed it when the song ‘Saturday Morning’ by Eels came streaming into my headphones. I have an iPod shuffle that I wear while running, since I don’t like carrying my phone, so each song is a surprise. This song fit perfectly with the moment as I headed down the park path near the Great Lawn, and was also a little bit of a throwback, since it was on one of the O.C. albums that I bought for my first iPod at 13 or 14 – meaning, nearly a decade ago, which is just head-spinningly crazy!

When I got home, I decided to whip up a scramble for my post-run breakfast. I had brunch plans with friends around 2, so I didn’t want to refuel to the point of being stuffed. I just needed something to tide me over, and I’d already eaten oatmeal for my pre-run morning snack. I like having smoked salmon on the weekends, because it reminds me of weekend morning breakfasts when I was little.

Back then, I scarfed down cereal or Eggos before school (oh, for the days before my wheat allergy was diagnosed, and all I had to worry about was avoiding almonds and oranges…). But on weekends, my mom would sometimes make us pancakes with maple syrup, chocolate chips, and a delightful topping called Strawberry Piggy Sauce that Stonewall Kitchen discontinued some years ago to our chagrin, because after asking at the company store in Maine, we were told we were the only ones buying it. Other days, my dad would head over to the deli to pick up a dozen bagels to pair with cream cheese and lox. Of course, my bagel days are long behind me, but I still love lox, or smoked salmon, which stayed a crucial part of my diet in college (the Brits enjoy smoked fish just like the Scandinavians and New Yorkers) – and I’m always finding ways to incorporate it into breakfast dishes. Which brings us to yesterday’s smoked salmon scramble, just like the lox ‘n onions scrambled eggs you’ll find at any diner. Make a big batch for an Easter or Passover brunch (sans wrap, it’s kosher for Passover) – or whip up a portion later in the week for a quick and tasty gluten-free breakfast!

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