As I’ve written many times before, building salads can get a bit tedious. At least they can be for me. The problem is – we love salads and salads are very good for us. All those lovely veggies comingled to provide a fresh taste, crunch, texture, and variety to our evening meal. But to bring the whole mess together, a superior salad dressing is a must. At least for us it’s almost sacrosanct. So I am always on the lookout for a dressing that can provide a real zing to our favorite salad veggies without causing me too much trouble to build. In other words – the fewer ingredients, the better!
And yesterday, while I was planning our evening meal, I thought about using Kalamata olives as an addition to a simple vinaigrette. So I went on line. And I found the perfect recipe on the healthyseasonalrecipes.com site. Thank you Katie.
Well, as you can gather by the fact that I am passing the recipe along to you, we loved the dressing. And as delicious as it was, it was also nutritionally sound. Full of healthy ingredients. Some interesting facts about Kalamata olives from the greekcitytimes.com web site.
“Kalamata olives are only found on the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece and have played a part in the human diet for thousands of years. Growing under the amazing Greek sun, the olive trees here have much larger leaves than other types of olive trees around the nation and the world, and absorb more sunshine.
This dark cherry sized fruit — yes, the olive is a fruit — that has been used by Greeks for thousands of years not only tastes great, it serves up a host of nutritional benefits.
It’s no secret that doctors and dieticians call it one of the healthiest foods on earth and that’s because Kalamata olives are high in sodium, rich in healthy fats, and contain a natural antioxidant.
Kalamata olives contain a range of health-promoting vitamins and minerals, and are particularly high in iron and vitamin A. It is said that regular consumption may help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and various cancers.”
So if you too would enjoy raising the bar a bit on the salad portion of your dinner menu, give this dressing a try. I used it last night with chopped red lettuce, massaged kale, and romaine lettuce. I did throw in a few homemade croutons, but only because Mr. C loves them so much. And I love him, so there you go!
As always, stay positive, stay focused, and keep building nutritious and delicious food. And on that happy note, I’m off to the kitchen to prepare Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars. (And yes, I’m sure the delicious part will be there. The nutritious, not as much. But we all deserve a treat now and then. So this is our reward for surviving another week of wearing masks, using disinfectant wipes, washing our hands, social distancing, staying basically sequestered, etc. etc. In other words – doing the right thing!) Peace and love to all.
¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil (Kalamata olive oil*, if possible)
2 T. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
pinch kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
8-10 finely chopped Kalamata olives
2 T. chopped fresh basil
Whisk or shake all ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate. Use on any of your favorite veggie or pasta salads. Recipe easily doubles, triples, etc.
*I use Trader Joe’s Premium 100% Greek Kalamata Extra Virgin Olive Oil exclusively. For all my cooking needs. The price is right, and I love the flavor. And no they are not paying me to promote this product. I tried, but they said $20,000 was too much. (Just kidding.) I just happen to love their olive oil.