Mediterranean Salad

One of my all time favorite cuisines is Mediterranean, specifically that of Greece and coastal Italy. I love all the ingredients, how they mingle together, how fresh and summery everything tastes, and how healthy I feel after eating it. Lemon, garlic, dill, feta cheese, olives... practically every dish involves some combination of these flavors.

In a glass baking dish, bake a 6 oz fresh salmon filet in 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of half a lemon, and fresh cracked pepper at 350 for 20 minutes, or to your desired level of doneness.

While the salmon is baking, toss the following ingredients in a large bowl:

2 C Romaine hearts, chopped
1/2 C kalamata olives, drained
1/2 C marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
1/4 C feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 C prepared sundried tomato pesto
20-30 shelled pistachios
juice from 1/2 lemon
generous amount of fresh cracked pepper

Once the salmon is done, cut it up, and mix everything well and serve. The oil from the artichokes and the pesto mixes with the lemon juice and negates the need for any additional dressing, and the saltiness of the olives and feta make adding salt unnecessary. Serves two.

This salad can also be made without the salmon and can be thrown together in minutes. Enjoy!