Go Greek!

Today did not end up the way I had hoped. Let me begin by saying that my home has been under siege for the better part of the last month by the Epstein Barre virus...in the form of Mono. My best guess is that we were exposed at some point during our trek from Washington State to Texas as its devastation was so swift and complete with our four kiddos. It started with Alyssa and within days our two youngest boys fell victim to the headaches, high fevers, sore throat, and exhaustion. They recovered within days, while Alyssa missed 3 weeks of school. I thought we were home free until my oldest, Jay began to fall victim. Annnd that brings me to last night where we spent a few hours at the ER because his tonsils were so nasty, swollen, and just nasty that he was having trouble swallowing, talking, and breathing. Needless to say I was tired today, and behind on things I needed to accomplish...like taking the boys (I tend to refer to my two youngest boys as the boys) for new shoes. 

Anthony was in desperate need, as he's been complaining that his feet hurt. Keep in mind we just bought him new shoes in a size 5 1/2 before we left Washington in January. After much emotional distress over why basketball shoes are not good for running (he's 10 and turning into a brooding tween), we left the store mentally exhausted, and much poorer with a pair of Nike running shoes in a men's size 7 1/2...YIKES! Why do my kids do this to me? I feel like the worst parent in the world even though I continuously buy them shoes and clothes, they have these sudden, massive growth spurts and I end up feeling like I am lacking in some way in the mommy department. 

Anyhoo, after the shoe shopping excursion from Hell, being all around tired from the night prior, and a horrible workout from this morning which left me sore everywhere, my planned meal flew out the window and was sacrificed for something much easier which was grilled sausages (our local grocery has an awesome selection of minimally processed, sugar free, grass fed, and organic sausages and even hot dogs!), roasted sweet potatoes, and a Greek Salad. Quick, and easy peasy.

I came across the recipe for this salad in a cookbook that I had bought years ago by a man named George Stella. He is a HUGE inspiration as he went from being extremely overweight, wheel chair ridden, and suffering from heart failure to this wonderfully healthy man by changing the way he and his family ate. In the end, he, his wife, and their two sons lost 560 pounds! I find that amazing, and even more so they appear to be such a close knit family, and I really enjoyed reading about their journey. It was super inspiring. At any rate, I cannot take credit for the actual salad recipe, but I have taken my own liberties with his dressing, and therefore I will give you my take on it, and the link for the recipe which inspired it here: George Stella's Greek Salad

I was drawn to this dressing because it was quick and easy as it is made in the blender. Tonight, I made it in my single serve, bullet blender, so I didn't even have to break out the big guns (Blendtec) for it, which means easier cleanup! 

Greek Dressing, Inspired from George Stella's recipe

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

the juice of half of a lemon (about 2 TBS)

1 TBS of the juice from the jar pepperoncini peppers used in the salad (see above link)

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

sea salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp of oregano

1/4 tsp of basil

1. Throw everything except for the olive oil and oregano into the blender and blend well. Open the lid, dump in the oil, and blend until it comes together. Season with S & P to taste, blend again, add the oregano, and pulse 2-3 times. That is it. You're done, and you don't have a gargantuan mess to clean up! It should look like this:

George's recipe calls for the addition of red pepper flakes, and while I LOVE them, it ends up being a little spicy for my kiddos, so I leave them out. Additionally, if you find 2 cloves of garlic too hot, then knock it back to 1 or half of 1, but do not omit it. Enjoy! I will now commence to decontaminating my house.