Ingredients:

• Leaf Lettuce (Pictured Green Oak Leaf Lettuce)
• Cucumber
• Kalmata Olives
• Lemon
• Dried Oregano
• 3 or more TBS Oil (Olive oil has good flavor, other oil can work too)
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Wash Lettuce. Separate leaves from the head, look for and remove any slugs or insects. (What!? Yes, bugs are an unwelcome surprise but can show up in organic and very fresh produce.) Wash by submerging in cold water. Move leaves around gently to let dirt settle. Replace water and repeat 1-2 times. Shake off water, or let drip dry for a bit. You can also use a salad spinner to dry leaves.
2. Slice cucumber. Peeling a cucumber is not necessary. Wash the surface of the cucumber. Trim off ends. Slice into rings or dice into cubes. To make the cucumber sit flat on the cutting board, trim off a thin slice on one side to make a flat surface.
3. Slice Kalmata Olives. To slice round foods (like olives, grapes, and cherry tomatoes) place a small amount on a cutting board close together. Holding them still with your hand, bring in a knife from the side parallel to the cutting board and slice through the olives. If you keep the knife midway between the board and your hand this is a safe way to cut items that might roll around. Using a sharp knife is important.
4. Mix dressing. Juice lemon – wash and then cut a lemon in half, squeeze out the juice. There are many tools to juice fruit. I like to use a fork. Hold one lemon half in your hand, poke a fork into the cut side and squeeze the lemon against the fork to extract the juice catching it in a bowl, then remove seeds before using. Add 1/2 tsp dried oregano. Add 3 or more TBS oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix with a fork.
5. Combine Lettuce, cucumber, olives and dressing in a bowl. Enjoy!

This salad can be made more filling by adding a crumbled white cheeses like feta or chopped chicken.

Also: this video shows how to cut veggies into beautiful garnishes. It isn’t related to this recipe but is a fun YouTube find.