Two things happen when spring starts up here in Colorado –
- I drink more alcoholic beverages then have instant regrets the next day.
- I stop cooking as much because who wants to cook when you can sit outside while drinking a cocktail?
It’s a tough situation. I never use to enjoy alcohol and now I somehow like the taste of it. Aging is stupid, in so many ways. I’m already aging, I don’t need alcohol to speed that process up. But that’s not the point of this recipe conversation. The point is – I’ve been sucking at cooking now that it’s warm outside. I just want to hang out in the backyard, make out with my husband and try not to drink spicy margaritas. Try. And because of all of this, I’ve been eating lunch at Modern Market far too often. Right now they have this Mediterranean rice bowl with steak, red onion, cucumber, olives, feta, herb yogurt, and dill, and I want to eat it every day of my life. I love it so much. And it’s where the inspiration for this dish came from. Mediterranean food is magical. It’s so refreshing, it’s not overly filling, and it’s packed with flavor. So thank you Modern Market for the inspiration. I love you so much.
Speaking of love, I went out on a double date this weekend with my amazing realtor, his badass wife, and with my husband who is now one of the most fun people to hang out with ever since he quit his job. Best decision EVER! Double dates with a fun couple, and a really fun husband, make for a better life. Especially since we went to Super Mega Bien where we had the most amazing Spanish rice topped with the best tasting lamb I’ve ever had. Then we had cocktails at the speakeasy in the Ramble Hotel. And the problem with a speakeasy is that they’ll make any cocktail you like, but they’ll make it 10x better than you’ve ever had. Damn them and their cocktail making skills!
And you know how I was talking about spring in Denver? It snowed overnight. And now I hate everything. Luckily I’m leaving for Salt Lake City, UT tomorrow where the sun is shining and the warm weather is happening. And from what I hear, Utah hates adults drinking alcohol. Which makes sense in a way since alcohol is poison. But in another way, their liquor laws are so weird. We are planning to host a little meet-up while we are there and we were going to supply the wine, but because of the liquor laws, we cannot. You know what makes already awkward meet-ups even more awkward? Sober people. And I can say that because I’ve been the sober person at most events my entire life and I’m an awkward turtle with clammy hands the entire time. I guess these strict liquor laws are a good thing because I leave for Burgundy, France in a week where wine is the new water. Can you tell I’m struggling with alcohol? Time to cut myself off. I had 4 drinks last week and I feel a worthless piece of dog poo this week. It’s so dumb that bad things taste so good.
Luckily this salad is not one of those things. It’s just straight up good for you.
How did a salad post become all all cocktails? I’m so easily distracted.
Mediterranean Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 1x
Ingredients
- 1 romaine heart, chopped
- 6 ounces cherry tomatoes, sliced
- 1 english cucumber, quartered
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced
- 1/4 red onion, sliced
- 3 tablespoons almond milk herb cheese*
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
For the yogurt sauce:
- 6 ounces almond milk greek yogurt*
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place romaine hearts, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, olives, onion, and herb cheese in a large mixing bowl. Then add olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, dill, and mint and toss to combined.
- Mix together yogurt sauce ingredients until combined.
- Eat the two together. It’s really that easy.
Notes
*I used Kite Hill Almond Milk Cheese
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Ugh, I feel ya–since my late twenties, my body does NOT tolerate alcohol anymore. Which is a real shame because pairing wine with food was one of my top hobbies! And we are going to Bordeaux next week. Questioning my life choices…
ugh i feel ya! so frustrating!
Three years ago this month, you posted that “you’ll never lose the wait until you drop the alcohol” and although I only had about 5 pounds to drop, I listened to your sage advice (and still do to this day).
Happy Anniversary:)
hahahaha thanks for the reminder Katie! so so true! and i bet you’re looking amazing! 5lbs isn’t even worth thinking about!
weight not wait
Girl, the struggle is real! What is it about beautiful weather that makes you want a delicious chilled cocktail? Patio sitting has become one of my most favorite hobbies (if you even consider that a hobby, lol) but the alcohol consumption has definitely hindered my goals here lately. And now, it takes me about 2 days to recover from a few drinks. I need better hobbies!
i feel your pain! i wish i still hated drinking. it definitely messes with me even more now than it did before, especially with my weight. i guess i’ll be creating lots of mocktails this summer haha!
I would LOVE to see some mocktail recipes!!
Hey girl! Have you heard of Scout & Cellar wine?! It’s sugar/gluten/nitrite/chemical free! So you can drink an entire bottle and not wake up with a headache the next morning. It’s amazing. Worth looking into!
sadly…i kind of hate wine. so i definitely would never drink an entire bottle…or glass haha! but thanks for the recommendation!
I just have to tell you, I don’t always get the chance to read your blog, but when I do it makes me smile! Thanks for being real and sharing your stuggles just like the rest of us. Love your recipes and can’t wait to try this one.
thanks for reading, Jenna!! I really appreciate it!
Hi Juli! I realized when I printed out this recipe there weren’t instuctions on the “Loaded” part for the lamb. It seemed like there were a bunch of ingredients to use with the lamb but wasn’t sure how to make it? Do you have separate instructions? I would love to make this next week for my family for dinner. Thanks!
hey jenna! i’m not exactly sure what you’re talking about. there is no lamb piece to this recipe. it’s just a vegetarian dish. are you thinking of something else? maybe you’re thinking of this dish? https://paleomg.com/loaded-cauliflower-hummus/
Hi! I’m so sorry, yes, the hummus dish. I was going to combine that with the salad and posted my question on the wrong recipe. I’ll check that recipe again for instructions. Thanks! Enjoy you trip!
Omg this was so good. Added some applegate feta and spinach sausage and made it a meal?? Thank you for this genius recipe!
wooohoo! glad you liked it alexis!