Easy Greek Salad, Pitta Breads and Tzatziki

A traditional Greek salad is alive with flavour. There are all sorts of exciting accompaniments to serve with this salad that make it an interesting addition to a family meal or a colourful and healthy option for lunch.

Ingredients

Greek Salad
6 ripe salad tomatoes
2/3 of a cucumber
1 large red onion
50g pitted black olives
200g reduced-fat Greek feta cheese
1 lemon (juice only)
2 x 15ml spoons olive oil
Black pepper (optional)
Small bunch of fresh parsley (optional)

Pitta Breads
6 pitta breads sliced into strips

Tzatziki dip
200g plain low-fat Greek yoghurt
1/3 of a cucumber
2 cloves of garlic
1 x 5ml spoon lemon juice (take this from the juice for the Greek salad)

Equipment

Weighing scales
Colander
Chopping board
Sharp knife
Large salad bowl
Spoon
Juice squeezer
Measuring spoons
Small bowl x 2
Garlic press

Instructions

Greek Salad

1. Wash the tomatoes and cucumber.
2. Carefully slice the tomatoes in quarters and put them into the salad bowl.
3. Slice each end off the cucumber and save 1/3 for the dip. Slice the remaining cucumber into 2cm slices, and then cut each chunk in half to make 2 half moon shapes. Add the cucumber to the salad bowl.
4. Peel and trim the onion. Cut the onion in half and slice each half finely, separating any slices thatstick together. Add the onion to the salad bowl.
5. Finely chop the olives and add to the other ingredients and mix well.
6. Turn your chopping board over. Lay the feta cheese onto the board. Carefully cut the cheese
   into dice sized cubes. You can use your fingers to crumble the feta if you prefer. Stir this gently into the rest of the ingredients.
7. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a small bowl.
8. Make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice (save 1 x 5ml spoon for the Tzatziki) with the olive oil. Add black pepper to taste (if using) and mix together. Drizzle over the salad and stir.
9. Finely chop the fresh parsley (if using) and sprinkle on the top.

Pitta Breads and Tzatziki

1. Cut each pitta bread into 5 slices.
2. Empty the Greek yoghurt into a small bowl.
3. Chop the cucumber into ½cm slices and cut each slice into ½cm cubes. Add this to the yoghurt
and stir.
4. Carefully peel and crush the garlic. Stir this into the yoghurt.
5. Add the remaining lemon juice and stir.

Skills used include:
Washing, weighing, measuring, peeling, chopping, crushing, squeezing, mixing/combining
and serving.

Top Tips

• The great thing about Greek Salad is that you can decide how large you slice the ingredients and how many extra ingredients you add. Some Greek Salads are served with large chunks of tomato, cucumber and onion, some are very finely sliced. It’s up to you!

Something to try next time

• Try adding 1½cm chunks of green pepper to your salad, or swapping the black olives with
  green or black grapes for a sweeter alternative.
• You could toast the pitta breads and serve with houmous for a tasty snack.

Prepare now, eat later

• This delicious and colourful salad is best eaten as soon as it is prepared, but don’t waste any
  leftovers. Chill and use within 1 day.