Greek Souvlaki Salad

Greek Prep Sorted

 

Hello guys,

I hope you’re having a splendid Saturday morning.

Are you? Don’t lie to me now.

Good.

I can confirm that in 24 hours time I’ll be on a plane heading to Athens! Whoop! This both excites and worries me considering that I actually haven’t finished packing yet and even though I haven’t been on Greek land since I was 18, I have no doubt that the vibrant, relaxed and rich culture will be as satisfying as a sizzling serving of souvlaki.

Oh, did someone mention souvlaki? How completely unplanned and relevant to this blog post…

Yep, as I’m still on my Greek kick, I decided to share a quick and light lunch option I actually made ages ago that I’ve been excited about trying again since booking this Holiday. Inspired by something I tried whilst volunteering at Food Bloggers connect last year from a company called The Athenian – this classic Greek dish is filling, tasty and wonderfully simple. It turns out that I’m usually very pleased with simple things – I’ll end that comment there.

Souvlaki usually consists of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables cooked on a skewer which are then often served wrapped up in a flatbread with an array of salad and sauce. It can be a little messy but it is most definitely worth it. I always embrace the full 90 degree turning of the head when eating such foods. You can’t turn the souvlaki, you might lose some of the fillings!!!

I recreated a vaguely similar taste of this delicious Greek staple not long after returning from Food Bloggers Connect (my food needs were strong) and was pleasantly surprised at how easy this was to make. It literally involves a little bit of grilling, chopping up some veggies and mixing together a 3 ingredient sauce; so simple I even I could handle it and with the combination of the fresh salad, seasoned meat and tangy, sweet sauce this dish is the perfect way to step into spring.

Oh, did someone mention spring? How coincidental and completely unintentionally on topic for the next point of conversation…

As it actually is spring (don’t be deceived by the British weather) I decided to highlight some potential seasonal ingredients that can be used for this dish. We don’t buy everything seasonally but it’s a good idea in order to get better quality produce for the cheapest prices and it also supports the local economy a bit more – yay, economy.  Another bonus is that eating seasonally can push you out of your food comfort zone and get you to try new things. I didn’t know how much I was going to end up loving persimmons but since last Autumn/winter (when I tried them for the first time) I have since seriously considered either emigrating or going on Jeremy Kyle for them. I love me some persimmons!!!

So, seasonal produce is something I’d recommend and any ingredient in Green below means that it’s in season – grab it if you can! Think supermarket sweep just less orange and without the inflatable banana.

Disclaimer: If you attempt to play supermarket sweep in your local Asda, you will be instructed to get out of the trolley and/or asked to leave the premises. Alex tested.

Anyway, I better finish packing or this salad is the closest I’m going to get to Greece this year! I hope you have an amazing week and I look forward to sharing my travel adventures, when I’m back.

Greece, Here we come!

Opa!!!!!!! (have I used that correctly yet?)

xxx

Greek Souvlaki Salad

Serves 1

Ingredients:

For the salad base

A few handfuls of salad leave spinach, rocket and maybe even water cress

Some chopped vegetables of choice – cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, avocado

Protein of choice such as some chicken or in this case I used some extra lean pork (as it’s all we had on hand) – feel free to omit the meat if vegetarian/ vegan or use an appropriate substitute like haloumi or tofu. You could even use a grilled vegetable in this salad let’s say… Asparagus

A pinch of oregano and/or parsley (optional but recommended)

Olive oil spray or 1 tsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce

2-3 tbsp Greek yoghurt (can use a non-dairy yoghurt like Soy for vegan)

1 tsp honey (can use agave/maple syrup/fruit syrup for vegan)

1 tsp lemon juice

Extras

A metal skewer or wooden skewer that has been soaked in water for twenty minutes or so to prevent burning

Instructions:

Preheat the grill to a high heat.

Season the meat with a little olive oil (you don’t need much) oregano, salt and pepper before chopping into vaguely cube shaped pieces and threading onto a soaked skewer.

Spray a grill with cooking spray and lay down the meat-skewer..

Grill for at least ten minutes on a very high heat or until the meat is cooked through. - I used a George Forman grilling machine for this.

Whilst the meat is cooking, combine the rest of the salad ingredients together on a plate or in a bowl.

Mix together the sauce ingredients.

When meat is cooked, remove from the grill; ensure it is cooked all the way through before placing on the salad followed by the sauce.

Optional touches – sprinkle with some more oregano and grind a little more pepper on top. I also recommend consuming the whole thing wrapped up in a whole wheat/sprouted grain flat-bread or pita because carbs. That is all. ;) 

Also, if you want to check out this link the The Athenian's website - this was probably my favourite thing I ate over my weekend volunteering at FBC and I ate cake, Mexican food and hot dogs that weekend. Need I say more.