Crunchy Greek Salad with Avocado and Feta

A garden bounty

As much as I love a good leafy green salad, it's nice to ditch the greens once in a while in favor of a veggie-forward salad like this Crunchy Greek Salad with Avocado and Feta. I almost called this a "Garden Bounty Salad" because it truly is a salad that utilizes the bounty of a summer vegetable garden. When coupled with Kalamata olives, avocado, feta, and a light and zingy vinaigrette, this veggie-packed salad really shines. Prep this quick and easy summer side dish in less than 10-minutes and pair with your favorite main course!

The right vinegar is key to a perfect vinaigrette

The veggies, Kalamata olives, and feta are all perfectly capable of doing the heavy lifting in this recipe, so it's important that the vinaigrette stays simple. I prefer to use Champagne vinegar in this dish because it is particularly light and mellow, offering the perfect tang to this Crunchy Greek Salad without overpowering any of the fresh produce. If you do not have Champagne vinegar on hand, you may swap for an alternative but it will have varying effects on this dish:

• White wine vinegar: This would be my second choice for this salad if you aren't able to procure Champagne vinegar. White wine vinegar is very similar to Champagne vinegar, but with a slightly bolder flavor. This is still a great option for vinaigrettes but pales slightly in comparison to the mellow flavor of the Champagne vinegar for this particular salad.
• Red wine vinegar: This is another great option for vinaigrettes in general. Slightly more pronounced in flavor than white wine vinegar, but still mellow enough to enhance the flavor of a vinaigrette without dominating the flavor profile. This is certainly not my first choice for this particular salad, but a perfectly copasetic option if it's all you have on hand.
• Apple cider vinegar: I use this vinegar for so many dishes, that it's a primary staple in my pantry. It's considerably more tart than its Champagne and wine counterparts, but still, a reasonable option if you really wanted to use it. Remember, we're trying to elevate the vegetables, not overpower them, so you may want to decrease the amount of apple cider vinegar you use in proportion to the preferred champagne vinegar in this recipe. Either way, you will most certainly end up with a zippier and tangier salad using this option though, so keep that in mind.
• Traditional distilled white vinegar: I've listed this only because I feel confident I'm going to get questions about it. Though traditional distilled white vinegar is perfectly acceptable in some vinaigrettes, it's quite bold and pungent so I highly recommend you skip this one for this particular dish and save it for when you're ready to pickle some of the gorgeous vegetables from your garden instead.

What should I serve this Crunchy Greek Salad with?

This Crunchy Greek Salad is stellar with just about anything you're grilling! It's a great way to dress up grilled chicken breasts, steak, fish, or as a side for burgers. If you're vegetarian, I think this would be beautiful served with grilled halloumi or tofu steaks. I particularly love serving this salad as a side dish with these recipes:

• Greek Lamb Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
• Crab Club Sandwich
• Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
• Grilled Skirt Steak with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce
• Grilled Chicken Wings with Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce
• Grilled Chicken Wings with Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce
• Crispy Oven-Fried Fish

WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?

• A cutting board
• A chef's knife
• A large bowl
• A kitchen scale -- OR -- measuring cups (for less accurate measurements)
• Measuring spoons
• Two wooden serving spoons or salad serving utensils

Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.

How long will this Greek Salad keep?

Because this Crunchy Greek Salad contains high-water content produce like cucumbers and easily bruised avocados, the salad will eventually begin to break down as the water from the produce disgorges, so I prefer to eat this dish within the first 2 days or so for the best (crunchiest) texture. Leftovers should be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

A note for special diets

This Crunchy Greek Salad can easily be made friendly for grain-free, gluten-free, and low-carb diets. Though technically the ingredients are friendly for Low-FODMAP diets, you'll want to watch the amount of higher-FODMAP ingredients (like avocado) you consume per serving if you follow this diet. If you omit the feta, this dish can be made friendly for Paleo and Whole30 diets.

A note about Garlic Oil

I generally use garlic-infused olive oil rather than whole garlic in my recipes because I personally don't tolerate whole garlic very well. Garlic is high in fructans, a type of Fodmap (short-chain carbohydrates that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine). As an alternative, a good garlic-infused olive oil can be a great substitution for those with similar intolerances or who follow a Low-FODMAP diet. I personally love using garlic-infused olive oil in my cooking to get that delicious garlic flavor without the tummy-ache. If you do have a similar intolerance or are just interested in trying garlic-infused olive oil out, I usually buy this one.

I understand that this particular food intolerance is not a problem for many others though, so I always try to make sure that a reasonable swap is listed in my recipes. This salad is perfectly delicious with fresh minced garlic and a good extra virgin olive oil, so there's no need to run out and buy special ingredients for this salad.

LOOKING FOR MORE SUMMER SIDE DISH INSPIRATION?

Love this Crunchy Greek Salad with Avocado and Feta? Here are some additional summer side dish recipes I love:

• Strawberry Peach Summer Salad with Basil Walnut Pesto
• Chili Lime Watermelon with Labneh and Honey
• Creamy Dijon Dill Potato Salad
• Creamy Cucumber Radish Salad
• Spicy Cabbage Slaw
• Horseradish Dill Slaw

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