Festive Feta Salsa

I don't do the bulk of my shopping at Whole Foods because, well, I'm not a gazillionaire. That store is pricey! But I do admit that I find the shopping experience really nice: it's clean and the produce is always gorgeous. They also have some fabulous prepared foods. One of those is over in the cheese section; Whole Foods calls it "Mediterranean Salsa." It is incredibly yummy. And expensive. I read the list of ingredients and decided to reverse engineer it. My version is much less expensive and—dare I say it?—even tastier than the original.

One thing that I don't like about the Whole Foods version is the large chunks of sundried tomatoes; I love the flavor of this ingredient but I don't like to have a whole mouthful of them. So, I mince them, which means you just get a hint in every bite. I also like to use lots of parsley and scallions, probably more than the store's version. And I like to add fresh lemon juice, for its brightness and acidity. In other words: just adapt this to your tastes and you can't go wrong!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces feta (I like to buy the kind that's in brine, as it is more moist), crumbled or diced
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/3 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 2 T dill, chopped
• 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, minced
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2-4 T extra virgin olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• a pinch or two of herbes de provence

Place all ingredients in a bowl and toss together. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of the olive oil over everything until it is all lightly coated; adding more, if necessary.

Serve with toasted baguette slices or pita chips—or cucumber slices or endive spears, for a lighter option. This salsa is also great tossed with warm brown rice as a side dish!