Homemade Greek Seasoning & Salad Dressing

Yeeeeears ago, I dated a Greek man. The best thing to come out of that relationship? THE FOOD! :-P

He had an uncle who owned a very popular Greek restaurant in the area, at the time, & a cousin who owned a fast-food-type Greek restaurant in a near-by town. I was introduced to wonderful things like Gyros (pronounced yee-roe, the meat is a mix of beef & lamb w/a Tzatziki sauce that makes my mouth water just thinking of it), moussaka (sort of a Greek lasagna), baklava (an incredibly yummy pastry) & the incredible flavor of the Greek salad. It has 3 characteristic ingredients that "make it Greek": Feta (goat) cheese, Kalamata olives & the seasoning in the dressing! Oh . . . be still my heart . . . & my taste buds!

I recently found a great Greek seasoning recipe. And, if you've read this blog for very long, you KNOW that I LOVE to make my own seasonings & herb mixes (examples for any newbies: my all-time favorite herb mix, zucchini seasoning, dill dip mix, seasoned salt [tastes JUST LIKE Tastefully Simple's]). So, this was just a natural for me.

This yummy Greek seasoning mix can be used to simply sprinkle over a salad OR on chicken, beef or lamb before cooking. You can also make a great salad dressing w/it.

Here's what you need:

~2 ts. oregano
~1-1/2 ts. onion powder
~1-1/2 ts. garlic powder (I prefer granulated garlic from Frontier - sold at most bulk food & health food stores - OR Kroger)
~1 ts. sea salt OR real salt
~1 ts. black pepper
~1 ts. parsley
~1/2 ts. basil
~1/2 ts. cinnamon
~1/2 ts. nutmeg
~1/2 ts. thyme

DIRECTIONS:

1) With a mortar & pestle, grind any larger items down just a bit, if it's even necessary
2) Combine all ingredients in a bowl w/a whisk
3) Store in a shaker-type container ~ either a pretty glass Parmesan cheese-type container or a cleaned out plastic Kraft Parmesan cheese shaker
4) Apply liberally to your taste to meats & salads

PLUS ~ If you want to make a salad dressing simply add 1-2 TB of the mix to 1 c. olive oil & 3/4 - 1c of vinegar, shake well. If you are going to use ALL of the dressing in 1 day, sprinkle a little Feta or Parmesan cheese into the dressing, shake well. (Use the cheese blended dressing in 1 day b/c of spoilage.)

Enjoy~

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><