Greek Tomato Salad

      At the beach today, so I am going to make this short.  A fresh salad recipe for when you are tired of lettuce, but don't want something like pasta or potato salad.  Just a few simple ingredients 
 2 pounds tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces ( I got some red and some yellow, because there were no heirlooms at the beach grocery store, but whatever kind is your favorite)
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeds removed then large diced- remove seeds by cutting in half lengthwise and scraping the seeds out with a spoon
1 red onion, very thinly sliced
8 oz (or so) Feta, crumbled
1/2 cup olives (optional, but remember if you use them they will add to the salt, so adjust accordingly)
1/2 cup Greek balsamic dressing (recipe to follow)
1 TBS fresh oregano, chopped
a large pinch of sea salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper
       Put everything in a bowl and mix it together.  Let it sit at room temp so they flavors can marry for at least 15 -30 min and serve at room temperature, the tomatoes will just taste better.

      This dressing is a little bit of a cheat, but it is always tasty, so why make yourself work harder than you have to.  I always make it with a immersion blender, but honestly you can just put all the ingredients in a jar and shake, it will work just as well.
1 tsp Greek seasoning (see, I told you it was a Greek dressing)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp oregeno, finely chopped
1 tsp honey 
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup feta (optional, and really not necessary for the tomato salad since you are putting some big chunks in anyway)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (if you use white balsamic it won't cover the color or the tomatoes as much, but the regular tastes just as nice)
pinch freshly ground black pepper
add all of these ingredients and if you are using a stick blender slowly add in
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup salad oil
or just add the oil into your jar and shake.  This will make about a cup of dressing so you'll have some for your salad, and some left over for another project.  I always love to put this dressing on my bean salads as well, to be honest it could be used for just about anything.  How about a marinade for some chicken or a steak, or maybe even let some mushrooms sit in it for a few hours and have some nice marinated mushrooms to put on an antipasti plate or portabellas to throw on the grill.  It is a versatile dressing, and pretty basic, so if you want a little different flavor exchange the Greek seasoning for Italian or take out the herbs altogether and mix in a fruit puree.