Chopped Greek Salad with Avocado

I am a big salad person and it's not because I'm trying super hard to be healthy, it's because I genuinely love them. However it's ironic that my favorite salad is one that doesn't even contain lettuce. Everyone that goes into this chopped greek salad is my favorite. I love cucumbers, olives, red onion, oh and feta...yeah it's safe to say feta and me get along. 

Typically "lettuce-less" salads aren't really that healthy. You have the panzanella, which calls itself a salad even though it's made of a bread. You also have the taco salad, which often comes in a taco shell consisting of more calories than an actual taco. A restaurant in my town has a "burger" salad which consists of more tater tots than lettuce and is topped with Big Mac sauce. This chopped greek salad however defies the odds. There is no lettuce but it's jam packed with healthy vegetables and healthy fats. I was in Whole Foods the other day and overheard a lady state "give me all the cheese, I'm going keto." Don't quote me on this because I'm no expert but I believe this salad to be a great low carb option. 

The bulk of this salad consists of cucumbers and tomatoes and if you don't like cucumbers you can exit out of this page. It took me a while to come around to the tomato I'll admit it, but a cucumber?? A cucumber, in my opinion, is one of God's true gifts to us humans. Can you imagine a vegetable more refreshing...more crisp? My friends and I would sit in 8am college classes, hungover beyond our brain's comprehension, but we would just envision cucumbers. 

Secondly, this salad is graced with another true gem of an ingredient. The kalamata olive. Once again, I like to think of God creating things when I analyze ingredients. God was having a good day when he created kalamta olives. He already knocked it out of the park with the black olive and green olive, but he was definitely feeling feisty when he made the kalamata. Some people might think its flavors are too intense but not me. 

Next we have the red onion. Most people don't mind a little red onion on their burger or finely chopped in their tuna salad. Me on the other hand...I'm fairly certain I could bite into one like an apple. Do I have dull taste buds? I swear I have not done any drugs in my life to desensitize my taste buds. I just like bold flavors. 

Lastly, I could write a romance novel about feta cheese but I'll spare you the details. It's safe to say that if you teleport me to Greece right now, I don't think I'll ever leave. 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chopped cucumbers (I use English cucumbers so I don't have to seed them)
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup diced kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, pitted and diced into chunks
• 1 1/2 cups feta cheese, broken into chunks
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1. In a large serving bowl combine cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, parsley, red onion, and oregano. 

2. In a medium bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Add to the cucumber mixture and toss to fully coat and combine the salad.

3. Top the salad with avocado and feta cheese. 

*This salad is even better after sitting in the fridge for a couple of hours.