Greek Lamb Salad With a Creamy Yogurt Dressing

I have had this recipe for years and originally think it came from one of those small grocery store check out counter cookbooks. Back in the days, I hand wrote recipes I liked and often tossed the rest of the book. Even when I catered, I wrote each recipe by hand - crazy I know. Well, I am slowly going through a few old boxes and found this last night. I love lamb and Greek flavors and this just makes a great main dish salad. I use to rate my recipes and this has 4 stars which meant great, so I hope I feel the same way. I love salads and often have them for dinner, maybe with a cup of soup or just a nice slice of bread. It is a good way to eat your protein, vegetables with a bit lighter approach. For this particular recipe, I prefer a mix of mostly spinach with just a little romaine for crunch, but you can really use any mix you want. Grilled lamb (or pan seared), chickpeas, cucumber, red onion, garlic, olives, raisins and of course the yogurt dressing for a nice twist on an average salad. You can garnish with feta cheese if you like. Serve with grilled pita chips.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 Main Salads

Ingredients

• Lamb and Marinade

• 1⁄2 lb boneless lamb chops, cut into thin strips
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1  teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1  teaspoon  minced garlic
• 2  teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced fine (1/2 teaspoon dried, but fresh works best if possible)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1  pinch red pepper flakes

• Salad

• 6  cups  fresh  Baby Spinach (note ( you could always use a mixed bag of greens as well for both the spinach and the red leaf)
• 2  cups lettuce, red leaf cut into bite size pieces
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2⁄3 cup seedless cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1  small red onion, cut in quarters and thin sliced
• 1⁄4 cup kalamata olive, cut in half (black olives will also work)
• 1⁄8 cup golden raisin
• 1⁄8 cup dried tart cherry

• Dressing

• 2⁄3 cup plain yogurt
• 1⁄4 cup scallion (white and green parts)
• 1  teaspoon  minced garlic
• 1⁄2 teaspoon honey
• 1  teaspoon lemon juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1  pinch salt
• 1  pinch pepper

• Garnish

•  grilled  pita chips
•  feta cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Lamb -- Mix the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, fresh rosemary, oregano and red pepper flakes in a baggie and add the lamb. I like to marinade the lamb at least 2-3 hours. Remove from the fridge and let it come to room temperature while you make the dressing and the salad.
2. Dressing -- Mix the yogurt, lemon juice and zest, honey, scallions, garlic, salt, pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Salad -- In a large bowl, add the lettuce, cucumber, olives, and chickpeas and toss well. Reserve the cherries and raisins for the topping as well as feta cheese which is optional.
4. Lamb -- The lamb already has some olive oil in the marinade, so I spray a grill pan or saute pan just with Pam or a non-stick spray and grill on medium high to high heat. They literally, just take a minute or two on each side. I like my meat medium rare.
5. Finish -- Add the warm grilled lamb to the salad, add the chilled yogurt dressing, toss lightly, garnish with the cherries and raisins.
6. Feta cheese is another optional garnish which I like just a little, but it is optional. And Grilled pia chips are perfect with this as well.