Seven Layer Salad.

Makes me think of summer!
               ....And red and yellow peppers :)

Okay, in complete honesty, the concept of a seven layer salad kind of grosses me out. It takes the usual healthy salad and turns it into something very...not. You know, mayo, cheddar cheese, bacon, olives....all delicious in their own ways, but together? Personally, I'm not attracted to it, though if you are I completely respect your food choices. After all, I'm a fan of bacon waffles, and I know that repulses some. ;)

When I offered to take a vegetable dish to a baby shower for one of my fantastic coworkers, and was asked to bring a seven layered salad, it seemed best to bring one that I'd love to eat. Lately that would mean including feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. So how about a seven layer, mediterranean salad?! Here were my layers, from top to bottom:

Picture I took in Italy of someone's house we
stayed at! It was incredibly picturesque.

Mediterranean-Inspired Seven-Layer Salad

1. Croutons: Baguette sliced, both sides brushed with olive oil/butter, basil and oregano, paprika and a bit of garlic salt.

2. Feta Dressing: Feta cheese, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, non-fat yogurt, clove of garlic, oregano, all pureed until creamy and dressing like. 

3. Olives: Should have been kalamata, but I just used black pearls

4. Red Pepper: For more color, use yellow and orange!

5. Quartered artichokes: Canned, delicious, yum.

6. Tomatoes: Chopped vine tomatoes and chopped sun-dried tomatoes (in olive oil) tossed together

7. Lettuce: Mixed greens

The goal of this salad was to use fresher, brighter flavors than the typical SLS. I'm not actually convinced it's more healthy. There's a lot of sodium in olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and feta cheese. But hopefully using non-fat yogurt instead of mayo, and omitting bacon helps? NO idea. Frankly, do we care? Nope :) Bottom line, it was a hit, and I was asked for the recipe.

You'll notice there are no proportions for the ingredients. This is because I have no idea what they are. I cook according to the textures and flavors I desire to attain. So when you make your seven-layer mediterranean-inspired salad-dressing (is that enough hyphens?), envision something delicious and start adding ingredients to your food processor. Start with a vision. Taste frequently. Have fun.