It’s time for a party, my friends. And not just any party, but a Kitchen PLAY Progressive Party. If you haven’t yet heard of Kitchen PLAY, you are in for a treat. Kitchen PLAY is a wonderful website designed to bring food bloggers and PR professionals together through a number of means, one of them being the monthly Progressive Party. Each month, six bloggers are assigned a course and asked to create a recipe, all using the same product or kitchen tool. I participated in a Kitchen Play Progressive Party back in May, and I jumped at the chance to do it again. The initial invitation didn’t reveal what the product was going to be, so I was jumping in blindly, but I knew no matter what, it would be a fun challenge.
Well, I lucked out, let me tell you, because our assigned product was Lindsay Olives. Have I told you how much I love olives? No? Well, I am telling you now. I love olives. And not just in my martinis (I know you know I love those!). I like all sorts of olives; I am really not very picky. I love them on their own and I love them in other foods. Whenever someone I am eating with starts picking around the olives in their meal, I am the first one to ask if I can eat them. I have no shame, really, when it comes to olives. And Lindsay Olives has quite an array of varieties. I’ve seen them at all my local grocery stores and I know I have purchased their black olives before. So this was a great opportunity to have a little fun with them.
My assigned course was the salad, and I was more than eager to get going on recipe development. Olives and salad are a natural combination. Virtually any salad can benefit from the addition of the salty, tangy olive, and I’ve certainly used them to save myself from garden salad boredom. And if we’re talking about Mediterranean style salads, then it’s a no-brainer. Olives are a must. Naturally, when I signed on to this project, my mind immediately jumped to all the Mediterranean style salads I know and love. Greek salad, Salad Niçoise, that sort of thing. But those salads make me think of summer, and here we are at the beginning of the long, cold New England winter. I wanted something with all of those wonderful flavors, but that also had a warmer feel to it. Roasting the vegetables was the perfect solution. It brought out the warm earthy flavours of the salad, which paired beautifully with the brininess of the olives and the tanginess of the feta cheese.
Want to get in on the action of the Kitchen PLAY Progressive Parties? The great part is that anyone can participate. Just make my salad or any of the other mouthwatering recipes from this month’s party, post about it on your blog, and you will be entered to win $50 plus an assortment of Lindsay Olives shipped right to you! (there are six prizes total). Kitchen PLAY is all about promoting food bloggers so this is your chance to get in there and promote yourself. Check out the details on the Kitchen PLAY Contest Page
Roasted Vegetable Greek Salad – This salad is good both room temperature and chilled.
Dressing:
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
1 medium eggplant, cubed into ½ inch pieces
1 medium zucchini, cubed into ½ inch pieces
1 red pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 green pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces
½ cup grape tomatoes
½ medium red onion, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 6-oz can Lindsay Small Ripe Black olives
1 medium head romaine lettuce, chopped
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
For the dressing, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
For the salad, preheat oven to 450F and place eggplant, zucchini, peppers, grape tomatoes and red onion in a medium bowl. Toss to combine. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and toss again. Spread mixture in a large 13×9 inch glass or ceramic baking dish. (Reserve bowl for tossing salad at the end).
Bake 35 minutes or until vegetables are soft and have some charred parts. Remove from oven and let cool.
Return vegetable to bowl, add olives and drizzle with dressing. Toss to coat.
Divide romaine lettuce among 8 salad plates. Top with roasted vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and serve.
The deadline is January 31, 2012. Please review the complete contest rules before entering. Good luck!
Ramona says
I love olives and Greek salad too! It's a great way to eat right for a new year. 🙂 Have a great week! ~ Ramona
Steve Parker, M.D. says
Once again, great pics.
-Steve
Alison Lewis says
Great idea! Sounds so good
amanda @ fake ginger says
I love this! The roasted tomatoes look fantastic! I bet the olives were perfect in the salad.
Faith says
Greek salad is one of my favorites and I love how you added roasted veggies to the mix! Makes it a bit heartier and perfect for colder months!
Barbara says
I love olives and I love Greek salad. Need I say more? Well, the roasted tomatoes sure don't hurt. 🙂
susan says
This looks amazing, Carolyn. May 2012 bring lots of wonderful blessings your way. And hopefully, a meet in greet in the new year!
Erin @ Dinners, Dish says
I love olives! I could eat a whole can of black olives if given the chance. I am doing my best to teach my son this habit as well 🙂
This salad looks refreshing and delicious. Never heard of Kitchen PLAY before!
lisamichele says
What a beautiful and colorful salad! I LOVE – ADORE olives, and your take on Greek salad amps it up so wonderfully with the addition of eggplant, zucchini and peppers! Definitely on my 2012 lunch and dinner menus, especially after all the holiday indulging! Happy 2012, Carolyn!
Roxana GreenGirl says
i love Greek salad and olives, well, i think I fit in the addictive group. I LOVE them!
your roasted veggie salad sounds so good!
Happy New Year Carolyn!
Jeanette says
I love Greek salad and your rendition using roasted veggies is perfect for this cooler time of year.
Marnely Rodriguez says
This looks delicious and so healthy! Perfect for 2012!
The_Mom_Chef says
Wow, what a salad. I'm an olive fan as well, as long as they're black. Not so popular in martinis, but I can pop them on their own all day. This spin on a Greek salad is beautiful. Happy New Year Carolyn.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Wow this salad is just bursting with flavor! Perfect start to the new year.
John in NC says
Made it tonight and it turned out great. Excellent recipe!
Becky says
Roasted vegetables are so good, especially in salads, like this one. I can't wait to try this one. gorgeous colors and pics
Liz says
Wishing you a happy new year, my friend…you are smart to take a few days away from commenting…I think I'll do that between Christmas and New Year's next year! Wow, this is my kind of salad…I just adore black olives…they are perfect with this mixture of veggies! Just fabulous…as always!
Christina says
What a delicious and healthy recipe to welcome the new year! 🙂
Magic of Spice says
I am a pretty big olive fan myself…in fact I can eat a bowl by themselves 😉 This is such a great salad and I will be wanting to make it asap 🙂
KeepItSweet says
Love this. Always looking for new delicious salads!
Barbara Bakes says
Such a beautiful, colorful salad. A perfect way to welcome the new year.
Karen says
Love all these fresh flavors and the twist of roasting everything instead of keeping it raw. Great heathy side dish idea!
Lynn says
I'm a huge olive fan too. A greek salad wouldn't be complete without them! I love that you roasted the veggies in this one, it makes it seem more cozy for the winter.
[email protected] says
I had to say i love the blog title, tom
Anne-Marie Nichols says
Gorgeous pictures! I love Greek salad.
Charlie says
Your salad looks amazing! It's been so long since I've had a really good Greek salad!
Lisa says
What a yummy recipe as I love olives. Greek salad is one of my favs.
betty says
I love the ingredient combination and that it is low carb, sounds delicious
raquel says
I love salad and also olives even though olives have a high fat content it excellent source of oleic acid.
jothetartqueen says
will bookmark this and add it to my salad repertoire..need to eat light and healthy stuff now after all that eating over Xmas and NY!
food_dreamer says
Hey, come to think of it, this is a perfect recipe for the Low Carb Mediterranean Diet!
Thanks, Steve.
Carolyn
Blog: All Day I Dream About Food
URL: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com
food_dreamer says
So glad you liked it!!!
Carolyn
Blog: All Day I Dream About Food
URL: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com
Curt says
What a delicious salad. There are a lot of very good ingredients in there.
food_dreamer says
Hi Tom,
Do you mean \”All Day…\”? Thanks! Most people don't get the Adidas reference.
Carolyn
Blog: All Day I Dream About Food
URL: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com
food_dreamer says
This salad is nice because it's light AND filling. So yes, perfect for those NY resolutions.
Carolyn
Blog: All Day I Dream About Food
URL: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com
Pagg Supplement says
Wow! I am Liking it so much!
torviewtoronto says
delicious looking colourful salad
dcavooris says
Wow, this look delicious! Well I guess I know what I'm making myself for lunch next week!
Pagg Reviews says
Its fantastic. Olives really a very Yummy or tastey dish. I love this. Thanks for share this blog. This is a great idea for share information and experience and anything about our self.
Pagg Supplement says
I Like Greek Salad. This is very tasty, and also very healthy. Thanks for share the strategy for making this. I like this. Keep it up with new ideas.