Fighting the Winter Blues Greek Style - The Everything Salad

When winter is feeling long and we are craving our garden vegetables, our family makes this sunny salad with a Greek twist.  If we don't have olives, or fresh herbs, we go without.  But it must have the feta and avocado tossed in with the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper and red onion or this crowd might say, why bother, call it something else.

The dressing is bright and goes well with steak or as a starter for a pasta meal.

For me, this salad today is successfully pushing out the winter blahs.

* Update: I submitted my leading photo in this post to The National Post newspaper for their Gastropost mission 'Win Friends With Salad'.  It was published in the January 26, 2013 paper. Here it is. Sweet!

GREEK SALAD WITH THYME VINAIGRETTE
Serves 4

6 small to medium vine ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 English cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 avocado, diced
100 gr (3 oz) mixed greens
175 gr (6 oz) feta cheese
olives (optional)

Dressing:
30 ml (2 tbsp) freshly squeezed lemon
45 ml (3 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
15 ml (1 tbsp) balsamic vinegar
1 small clove garlic, minced
3 gr (1/2 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
15 gr (1 tbsp) granulated sugar
3 gr (1/2 tsp) salt
thyme or oregano (optional)