A part of my quest to finally lose my baby weight and gain back some vitality has been figuring out easy meals that are healthful and enjoyable. A bonus of my kids liking it is always nice too. One salad my entire extended family loves is a vinaigrette marinated salad full of olives and cruciferous vegetables. We have always called it “Greek Salad” in my family, even though it really is just oil, vinegar, and whatever vegetable we want. At family events, this salad is usually our standard cauliflower, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, black olives, green olives, and maybe some chopped bell pepper. My mom usually douses the bowl in a ton of bottled Italian dressing and we let it sit over night. My sisters, the pasta fiends, like rotini added, but I am never a fan of pasta. I am also not a fan of bottled dressings since soybean oil makes me nauseated, so I have been doing olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Bottled dressing is rather expensive anyway for sub-par ingredients.
A raw marinated vegetable dish is easy. While you can use any vegetables you like, I will argue cruciferous veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts or cabbage are the best since they can stand up to the acid of the vinegar without turning mushy or slimy. My version of this dish goes something like this:
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 1 large head broccoli
- 1 can medium black olives
- 12 ounces stuffed green olives
- 1 red bell pepper or assorted small sweet peppers
- Cherry tomatoes or diced roma tomatoes (Optional)
- 1/4 cup olive oil of choice
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- orange zest with a small squeeze of the juice
- crushed garlic to taste (About a tablespoon)
Cut up the cauliflower, broccoli, and peppers to desired size and add to a large bowl or container. Mix your oil, garlic, vinegar, zest, juice, and optional salt and pepper in a glass. Some people miss the sugar of bottled dressings and might want to add a pinch of sweetness, like some honey, but I don’t bother. Strain your olives and dump them over the vegetables. Drizzle your dressing over the top of the batch. If you made a large amount of dressing, you can probably let it sit. I usually don’t make much, so I have to periodically pull the salad out of the fridge and stir it to get all the vegetables coated. Cover your bowl and let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours. You want enough time for the acidic vinegar to break down some of the outer cell layers of the vegetables for the best flavour and consistency.
This type of salad is low calorie and very filling. It has a ton of fiber and is pretty enjoyable if you are getting sick of lettuce salads. (We eat a lot of salads!) Most of the dressing drains to the bottom of the bowl, so you are not ingesting tons of it. The orange zest and garlic play nicely with the olives. I actually like it with some cubed cheese added, but I am trying to cut down on my dairy consumption.
The best part of marinated veggies, is my kids love them! My almost three year old generally refuses to eat broccoli, but he gobbles it up in this form. You could always layer this salad over some pasta or shredded lettuce if that is your thing, but it is great on its own. It is also a nice way to get some apple cider vinegar into your diet without really tasting it. My mom usually makes this for special occasions, but I like to make up a batch every month for a week of tangy crunch.
Do you have any standby dishes your whole family loves?
That looks so delicious and healthy! Pinned and shared – thanks!
thanks for sharing! It is definitely a hit in our house.
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