I have been cooking for more years than I care to admit, so it is not often that I am blown away by a new recipe or concept. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a unique adaptation of a traditional recipe and I don’t think there is anything wrong with sticking with tried and true recipes, but I love finding something completely new to me. So I was excited to discover Daphne’s Grilled Radicchio Salad recipe while watching The Chew. Did you know you can grill lettuce? I didn’t; Mind blown! Watch how Daphne does it:
I love grilling veggies, but it never occurred to me to grill a salad before. As soon as I was done watching the episode I started thinking of all sorts of variations I could create. The possibilities are as limitless as your imagination, but I decided to limit myself to what was growing in my garden. So I topped my lettuce with snow peas and carrots. I found some mushrooms when foraging in the fridge and added those as well.
I also had to limit myself to the the cooking implements I have available, so I cooked my salad over a charcoal grill. I have a grilling tray to grill vegetables, but if you don’t have a tray, you can make one out of foil to use on your grill.
While Daphne, served some of her vegetables raw, I decided to grill all of the vegetables for the salad. The vegetables still had some crunch to them when I pulled them off the grill but the mesquite added a nice smoky flavor.
I sliced the lettuce heads in half, drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled them with seasoned salt and pepper.
I put the rest of the vegetables in a large, sealable bag, drizzle oil and vinegar over the top. I sealed the bag and shook it to coat the veggies.
The underside is carmelized and the whole head has a nice smoky flavor.
Top the lettuce with grilled vegetables and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette and you have a delicious grilled salad!
Grilled Salad
Ingredients
- 2 small heads of lettuce halved
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- coarse ground black pepper
- seasoned salt How to make seasoned salt
- 1 small onion coarsely chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms diced
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
- 3 -4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Dressing Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch of salt
- dash of pepper
Instructions
- Light the grill and brush some oil over a grilling tray.
- Cut the lettuce heads in half. Brush with oil and sprinkle with seasoned salt, and coarse ground pepper.
- Place the onion, mushrooms, snow peas, carrots and garlic in a sealable plastic bag (or bowl with a lid). Add oil and vinegar to the bag, seal the bag, and shake to coat the vegetables thoroughly.
- Place the lettuce heads cut side down on the grilling tray. add the veggies to the tray.
- Place on the grill. Grill for 10 - 15 minutes. The amount of time it takes will depend on the heat of your grill.
- While your veggies are grilling, combine vinegar, oil, mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a lidded cruet. Shake to combine the ingredients.
- Place the lettuce heads on a plate, cover with the grilled veggies, and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette.
Have you seen The Chew yet? Here is a recent episode that includes some great grilling recipes and gardening tips:
I’m always looking for new ways to spice up my Summer dishes, and ABC’s The Chew serves up everything from grilling and outdoor entertaining to road trips and picnics. Watch weekdays 1e|12p|c on ABC to see what celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Michael Symon, and Carla Hall, lifestyle expert Clinton Kelly and fresh face of healthy living Daphne Oz are dishing out to inspire you this Summer.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of ABC’s The Chew. The opinions and text are all mine.
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Nile says
I am more than likely to grill any meat that I add to salads rather than grill the lettuce. It is just that when I want a salad… I want it fresh as a base before adding everything else. It looks like a great recipe. I will have to try it sometime.
Jennifer Garza says
Grill lettuce?! Who knew! I’m gonna try this! Thanks so much!!!