Grilled Green Goodness!

Image via PatioDaddioBBQ.com

My hubby and I had our first date night Friday since our little girl was born three weeks ago. We headed out to a local upscale bistro were I was pleasantly surprised by what I ordered. A grilled ceasar salad. Yes, I was impressed by a salad! Pretty incredible considering I also ate a $40 Kobe beef steak. I had seen grilled salads on menus before but to be honest was always turned off by the thought of warm, wimpy lettuce leaves. I mean, that's what you get when you order a burger at a fast food restaurant. Who wants that? But my friends, this grilled salad has completely changed my opinion. It was amazing! The char-grilled leaves added such a wonderful toasty flavor to the salad that I had never experienced before. And the cool part was that the lettuce still had a little chill to it. No wimpy leaves! So, if you have never tried grilled greens before, I encourage you to give it a shot! Not only is it delicious, it will also make an excellent addition to your entertaining recipe repertoire.  

Here's how it's done...

Simply wash a head of romaine lettuce (or other hardy green). Cut the head lengthwise into several smaller sections. Drizzle each section with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over direct, hot heat for about a minute or until slightly charred. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with parmesan cheese or feta. Drizzle the sections with the dressing of your choice and enjoy!