If you follow along on Instagram, you may be tiring of pictures of Shea (I’m sorry, she’s just so stinking cute with her rolls and painted toes!). Or Lily (who DOESN’T love a bulldog?). Or most recently, SALADS (can we all agree that these can be as boring or enticing as we make them?)!
I’m not sure if it’s the weather or what, but I’ve been craving salads (I do believe this is a first!) and making up new concoctions right and left. It must be that after a long winter filled with comfort foods, lighter salads offer an easy and delicious way get more veggies into my day. And let’s be honest, we probably all need more veggies in our lives…
You may have noticed that my random salads include anything and everything. Literally.
Leftover Italian turkey sausage? Throw it on.
Beets? Yes, please!
Nuts…a must!
Fruit – always!
Dressing…something new every day!
Amplify the flavor and control sodium and fat by making your own DIY dressing seasoned with herbs and spices, such as those from McCormick. Including herbs for flavor becomes all the more important when you have recipes like this where the ingredients themselves are very high in sodium. Olives and feta are very high in sodium so I use them sparingly and reduce the amount of salt used in the dressing. That said, the recipe is still plentiful in sodium…but just imagine what it could total without some reductions, swaps, and creative uses for spices for flavor.
As a newbie to grilled romaine, I was highly skeptical. I passionately hate hot, soggy lettuce but this was just…different. You grill for flavor and a different texture, but not an icky texture at all. Just...try it.
I also used avocado in the dressing versus all oil to create a creamy texture, fun color, and to add in additional heart healthy fats. The avocado paired beautifully with the Mediterranean herbs and garlic. Quick and easy to make, too!
- 2 large heads romaine, halved length-wise
- olive oil spray
- 2 roasted red peppers, chopped
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- 16 kalamata olives
- 8 artichoke heart quarters
- ½ avocado
- 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground mustard
- Preheat grill to 400 F. Mist romaine with olive oil spray and grill cut side down for 2-3 minutes, turn and grill an additional 2 minutes; remove from grill.
- Meanwhile, process together the dressing ingredients in a mini food prep or food processor until smooth.
- Plate each half head of grilled romaine and drizzle with ¼ of the dressing and ¼ of the chopped red peppers, 2 tablespoons of feta, 4 olives, and 2 artichoke heart quarters. Serve immediately.
Be well,
Oh yum, I need to buy a grill and make this asap. Or I suppose my grill pan will suffice.
i had my first ever grilled romaine and it was surprisingly really good. love the idea of this dressing.
I make a grilled caesar salad and grilled Romaine is so good! And you can never post too many pictures of Baby Shea!
You have mentioned several best points to keep in mind, really impressed with your great writing skills.