This is one of those salads that blurs the line between fresh and comforting. It’s familiar, yet just unexpected enough to feel special any day of the week—and any time of year—largely thanks to the proliferation of greenhouse-grown produce in Canada.

Calling it a Greek salad would be blasphemy, I realize, so in my cookbook Prairie I call it an ode to the many Greek salads (classic and otherwise) I’ve eaten over the years, both at home and while travelling abroad.

It’s also a quietly perfect example of how my approach to contemporary Prairie cooking tends to work: take a few good ingredients, treat them simply, and let time and heat do most of the heavy lifting. Roasting the feta alongside vegetables (my subtle nod to one of TikTok’s earliest viral recipe trends from the past decade) transforms it into something magical: briny, creamy, and just structured enough to collapse into the salad once tossed.

Pairing roasted vegetables with raw ones adds contrast and crunch, making this the kind of dish I could happily eat on repeat all year long.

Roasted Feta and Vegetables

Ingredients

2 Tbsp feta brine

3 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp fresh oregano leaves

½ tsp salt

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 small red onion, coarsely chopped

1 cup ½-inch peeled and cubed kohlrabi

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

7 oz good-quality firm feta (Chaeban Firm Feta works beautifully here)

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 425℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the feta brine, canola oil, honey, oregano leaves, and salt. Stir well to combine. Reserve a spoonful of this mixture for later.

Add the red and yellow bell peppers, onion, kohlrabi, and garlic to the bowl and toss gently until evenly coated. Transfer the vegetables to the prepared baking sheet.

Clear a space in the centre of the pan and nestle the block of feta into it. Roast for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned and the feta has softened. Set aside while preparing the remaining components.

 

Salad Dressing

Ingredients

¼ cup feta brine

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

¼ cup cold-pressed canola oil

½ tsp finely chopped fresh oregano

Salt, to taste

 

Method

Whisk together the feta brine, vinegar, oil, and oregano in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt.

 

For Assembly

1 cup peeled and thinly sliced kohlrabi

½ long English cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 Roma tomatoes, halved and cut into 1-inch pieces

 

Method

In a large bowl, combine the raw kohlrabi, cucumber, and tomatoes. Add the roasted vegetables and feta along with any residual pan juices, then toss gently. The feta should be soft enough to break down slightly and coat the vegetables.

Transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle generously with the salad dressing and serve with the remaining dressing on the side.