Adult Style Greek Tomato Salad with Kalamata Olives and Feta + Kid Friendly Easy Cucumber Salad

We live in south Florida, thus we spend the majority of the year simmering in a sultry stew of air. The heat makes us crave and yearn for salads and yet sometimes we want more than just a bunch of leafy greens. This Greek salad satisfies a salad craving with zero lettuce. Most kids won't eat tomatoes (not many we've met anyway) but they do eat cucumbers if you peel, seed and dice them. Depending on how many kids you have, simply buy 1 or 2 extra cucumbers when you are making the below recipe and toss the kids cucumbers in a little bit of flax oil, sugar, salt and red wine vinegar. It's a super easy way to get your kids to eat their veggies while you enjoy a grown-up salad.

Note: I didn't have Kalamata olives at hand last night so I used the green olives photographed above and they worked just fine---but I do think Kalamata olives would have been even better

Greek Style Tomato Salad with Kalamata Olives and Feta

Serves: 4
2 pints grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise (about 4 cups)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 medium shallots, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 small cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
3/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1 tablespoon flax oil (we recommend Barlean’s brand)
4 ounces low-fat crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1.Place a paper towel in the bottom of a medium bowl, add tomatoes and toss with sugar and measured 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover tomatoes with another paper towel and let sit about 15 minutes, so juices will drain.

2.Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high; add the the garlic, shallots and oregano and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until shallots soften. Add red wine vinegar and cook 30-45 seconds. Season shallots with salt and pepper to taste.

3.Remove the paper towels from the bowl with the tomatoes. Gently toss the shallots with the tomatoes. Add the cucumbers, olives, flax oil, feta cheese and parsley. Toss ingredients gently. Season with salt and pepper to taste.