Tuesday's Twist: Grilled Romaine Salad

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

It's summer. Time in the kitchen and baking in a hot oven have been replaced with time outside enjoying the sunshine (though sometimes I feel like I'm being baked myself).  Longer days mean even more time to be outside and less time for sitting behind a computer.  I'm sure you know the feeling, so let's just keep this short and simple and get back outside, okay? Okay.

Summer means grilling. Summer is also the perfect excuse to eat more salad.  Since we want to be outside let's just grill our salad while were at it.

This salad has that smokey, charred, grilled flavor that screams summer. It's slightly warm but still crisp and crunchy.  Better yet, it take only a few minutes and requires practically zero effort.  Throw it on when whatever else you're grilling up has just a few minutes left.

I thought of drizzling this with a balsamic reduction or topping it with blue cheese, but didn't want to mess with pictures on such a beautiful day. Well, that and the fact that recipes later this week may also use balsamic vinegar and/or blue cheese.  While I'm a fan of both, I realize others may be a little less approving.  Feel free to top with your favorite salad dressing, whether it's bottled or homemade.  Or just eat it as is and enjoy all that grilled flavor.

Grilled Romaine Salad

Ingredients:

1 romaine heart

1/2 tsp olive oil

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

salt, optional

Instructions:

* Preheat outdoor grill to medium-high heat

* Slice romaine heart in half lengthwise, leaving stem attached. Brush cut-side of each half with olive oil. Season to taste with pepper and salt, if using.

*  Place cut-side-down on grill and grill 1-3 minutes or until slightly charred.  Flip and grill 1 minute more.  Do not over-grill or salad will be limp. 

I have no idea why this is appearing in white, and can't seem to fix it. That happens if you copy and paste from a word document, but I wrote this straight from my head to the post not in word.  Any ideas? 

Food for Thought: "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint." Proverbs 23:4