This salad was alot tastier than what I thought it would be, made a couple of changes here (as I always do) my local fruit & vege guy had Danish fetta on special ($3.99 per kilo) so I used that. It’s alot softer & creamier than the Greek fetta, so when making the vinaigrette I substituted the mustard for a little of the fetta, I put all the ingredients including the fetta into a little processor & whizzed them together & came up with a tangy, cheesy dressing, I also used stuffed green olives cause I already had those in the pantry. I did make the bread but forgot to put them on the salad before the photo was taken. A great choice from Tara of Smells Like Home for The Barefoot Bloggers.
Ingredients
- Good olive oil
- 1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
- Kosher salt
- 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 red bell pepper, large diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, large diced
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds
- 1/2 pound feta cheese, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted
For the vinaigrette:
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
Directions
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread cubes and sprinkle with salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned. Add more olive oil as needed.
Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta, olives and bread cubes and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.