There is nothing more fulfilling than feeling connected to your culture. This summer, after what has felt like forever, I traveled to Greece to see my family and visit the islands. Immediately upon arriving, memories of my childhood summers spent in the magical place started coming back to me. By being surrounded by such a beautiful atmosphere, family, and language, I could not help but see Greece as my second home. One of the most memorable aspects of my visit were all of the delicious and naturally vegan dishes. Aside from vegan spanakopita, revithada, and melitzanosalata, one thing I could not stop eating while I was there was this cucumber, tomato, and fresh dill salad that my aunt would make. When I arrived home from my travels, I felt inspired by these dishes and went straight to recreating them in my kitchen. That is how this greek salad recipe was born! 

This creation, made with cucumber, tomato, and various fresh herbs is insanely refreshing, oil-free, takes less than five minutes to make, and truly gives you the feeling that you are eating in a Greek taverna. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do! 

INGREDIENTS (Yields about three servings)

• 1 1/3 Cup sliced cucumber
• 1 1/3 Cup sliced cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 Cup pitted and sliced olives *
• 1/3 Cup fresh parsley 
• 1/3 Cup fresh dill
• 1/4 Cup fresh mint
• 1-1.5 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

* Any type of olive will be fine. I usually use a mixture of both black and green olives.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut the cucumbers, tomatoes, and olives. For the cucumber, cut into thin slices and then each slice in half, and the cherry tomatoes into fourths. Slice the olives into small pieces, or according to preference.
2. Chop the fresh herbs finely. 
3. Mix the cut cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, fresh herbs, and fresh lemon juice together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. 
4. Serve immediately, or store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.