Start by tearing your romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces and placing them in a large mixing bowl. Don't chop the lettuce—tearing it keeps the edges from browning as quickly. You want those pieces roughly the size of your palm, nothing too tiny or it'll wilt fast.

Slice your cucumber into half-moons about 1/4 inch thick, then add them to the bowl with the lettuce. Next, dice your tomatoes into roughly 3/4-inch cubes, removing excess seeds if they're super watery. This prevents your salad from getting soggy later, which honestly happened to me until I learned this trick.

Finely chop your red onion—and I mean fine, like paper-thin pieces. Red onions have a sharp bite that mellows out once they hit the dressing, so don't be shy with the amount. Toss the onion in with the other vegetables and give everything a gentle mix.

Add your pitted kalamata olives and crumbled cheese to the bowl. The Greek salad recipe really comes together once you add these two ingredients because they're where all the flavor lives. Don't break up the cheese pieces too much—you want some texture.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, fresh lemon juice, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. This is your dressing, and you want to spend 30 seconds making sure the oil and lemon juice actually blend together instead of separating. The oregano blooms as it sits in the acidic lemon juice, releasing all that Mediterranean magic.

Pour the dressing over your salad and toss everything together until the vegetables are evenly coated. Use your hands or two spoons—whatever feels easier—and be gentle so you don't bruise the lettuce. You want every piece to get kissed by that dressing without things getting mushy.

Sprinkle the fresh parsley over the top right before serving, and taste it to see if you need more salt or lemon. Sometimes I add another pinch of oregano if it feels like it needs more oomph. Serve immediately while everything's still crisp and cold.