Veggie Lovers Combo Salad

Jack's garden operation grows more ambitious every year. The greenhouse, the market sales, the Farm Fund jar that now holds over three hundred dollars. He's 13 and he farms the way some kids play video games — obsessively, joyfully, with the deep understanding that this is not a hobby but a vocation wearing a hobby's clothes.

I made watermelon feta salad this week — the summer version, the one that fills the kitchen with the smell that means this time of year, this stage of life, this specific Tuesday when the stove is warm and the family is fed and the feeding is the point. Kevin ate seconds. The man always eats seconds. The eating is the approval and the approval is the marriage.

The garden at peak production — tomatoes by the bushel, corn taller than Jack (which is saying something now, the boy is tall), peppers in every color, the zucchini in its annual attempt to conquer the neighborhood. I've left three on the neighbors' porch. They know. Everyone knows. The zucchini phase is endured, not discussed.

With tomatoes coming in faster than I can find uses for them and peppers in every color lined up on the counter like a produce market opened in my kitchen, a Veggie Lovers Combo Salad wasn’t a recipe choice so much as an inevitability — the garden more or less assembled it itself. I wanted something that let the vegetables be the whole point, no sauces or casseroles to hide behind, just the summer in a bowl the way Jack grew it. It fed everyone, it used what we had, and it required me to do almost nothing but stay out of the way.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large cucumber, diced
1 cup bell pepper, diced (mixed colors)
1 cup broccoli florets, cut small
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1/2 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Prep the vegetables. Halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber and bell peppers, cut the broccoli into small florets, thinly slice the red onion, and slice the olives. Place all vegetables, chickpeas, and shredded carrots into a large mixing bowl.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, and garlic powder. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Toss and dress. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss thoroughly to coat everything evenly. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Add feta and rest. Sprinkle crumbled feta over the top. Let the salad rest for 5–10 minutes before serving so the flavors can meld and the vegetables soak up the dressing.
Serve. Transfer to a serving bowl or plate family-style. Best served the same day while the vegetables are crisp.

Nutrition (per serving)

Veggie Lovers Combo Salad — When the Garden Overflows, the Table Overflows With It