My friend from Russia came over for dinner and made this salad. It was the best Greek salad I'd had in a long time. We had such fun drinking Greek wine and talking about astrology, she's big into that. My friend moved back to Russia recently and I miss her terribly. she is such a funny character and I just miss hanging out with her.

I love greek salads. They're simple and tasty. Greek foods main seasoning are olives, garlic, lemons and herbs, which I've always been partial to. I'm slowly getting my kids to like this salad and they'll eat it as long as I take it easy on the lemons.


3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic—minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and extra for garnish
3 tomatoes—cut into wedges
¼ red onion—sliced into rings
½ cucumber—sliced into thick half-moons
½ green pepper (capsicum)—julienned
4 oz (120g) feta cheese—cut into small cubes
16 kalamata olives

PLACE the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a small jar with a screw-top lid and shake to combine. PLACE the salad ingredients in a large bowl. POUR the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine just before serving. Garnish the Greek salad with a little freshly ground black pepper.