Greek Lamb Salad

We are in the grips of a HOT, HOT, HOT summer. We have been in the high 90’s for almost 2 weeks and counting. That means a lot of cool salads. It’s just too hot to eat many other meals.

Lamb was down in our weekly meat rotation this week, but as I said, it’s too hot to eat a heavy lamb meal. I turned it into a delicious Greek salad instead.

I cubed the lamb and marinated it for about 5 hours before skewering it and grilling it.

The Lamb Marinade

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2-3 TBSP honey ginger balsamic vinegar, optional

1 TBSP garlic

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1-2 TBSP dried onions

1 tsp each, dried thyme, marjoram and mint

1-2 TBSP honey

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Mix it all together and then toss in the lamb cubes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cooking.

I was originally planning on making lamb kebabs, but changed my mind after I cubed it, so I skewered the lamb, but you can slice it too. Either way, it all tastes the same, and the end results will be a happy, satisfied tummy. 🙂

The Salad

Normally I prefer Romaine lettuce to iceberg lettuce. I thought I had some, but didn’t after all, and when I went to the store, they did not have Romaine. I did have a little Romaine left, and I mixed it with some of the iceberg lettuce to make salads for each of us.

Romaine and iceberg lettuce differ in taste, texture, and nutritional content. Romaine is known for its crisp, slightly bitter, and subtly sweet flavor, while iceberg lettuce has a milder, more neutral, and watery taste. Romaine has a slightly more robust texture due to its longer, broader leaves, while iceberg is known for its consistent, all-around crunch. Romaine is also more nutritious, with higher levels of vitamins and minerals compared to iceberg. Iceberg lettuce, though tasty, is mostly water and does not have a lot of nutritional value. But in a pinch, it will work.

This salad was just a simple tossed salad. The marinade for the lamb was more complicated than the actual salad.

2 cups shredded lettuce – or enough to make 2 dinner sized salads

1/3 cup mixed olives, sliced

1/2 cucumber, peeled and seeded

2 tomatoes, diced

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

feta, or shredded cheese of your choice, optional.

Toss everything together.

Larry’s salad had a combination of both shredded Colby and cheddar cheese and feta cheese. Mine had no cheese. Also we chose different dressings, so this was all I tossed together at this point. If everyone is enjoying the same salad, toss the dressing and the cheese in with the other ingredients too. then plate your salad.

Once the lamb is cooked to a delicious medium rare, slice it thin and add to the top of the plated salad.

For my dressing, I combined some creamy avocado dressing with an herb vinaigrette I made earlier. Larry mixed the vinaigrette with a creamy Caesar dressing. Both worked and we were both happy with our results. I also added some toasted pepita seeds to the top of my salad. I like the crunch factor added to my salads. 🙂

Of course we dined al fresco, on our beloved deck. It was a perfect way to cool down and to beat the heat.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay cool, stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.