Grill Your Salad

And the combination of fresh vegetables and a seasoned BBQ equals an absolutely delicious Grilled Vegetable Salad! Seriously! I am now a believer that you can grill anything and it will taste amazing.

A couple of days ago, I wrote about having my gal buddies over for our monthly get together. I tried this grill-your-salad recipe on them and got the big thumbs up. Try it! You’ll like it!

Grilled Vegetable Salad

What you’ll need:
- 1/2 lb. spring onions or leeks (instead, I used red onion chunks)
- 1/2 lb. small carrots or corn
- 1/2 lb. zucchini (I used summer squash too)
- 1/2 lb. Japanese eggplant (I used Chinese eggplant)
- 2 sweet red bell peppers (or any color)
- 1/2 lb. fennel (half? forget that, I used a whole bulb)
- 4 large tomatoes, seeded
- 1 c. olive oil (too much, in my opinion – see below)
- 1 tbsps. garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 c. coarsely chopped fresh herbs, including basil, oregano, parsley, and thyme (any fresh herbs work)

What to do:
Cut up the onions, carrots, zucchini, and eggplant in half lengthwise. Then, cut the bell pepper in half and remove seeds. Next, cut the fennel in 1/2 -inch thick slices. Mix all the vegetables with salt, pepper, and 1/2 c. olive oil.

Place on hot barbecue and grill until tender and brown (some vegetables may take longer than others). Remove from the grill, cool, and cut everything into 1-inch pieces.

Cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch cubes and add them to the vegetables. Mix the vegetables with garlic, freshly chopped herbs, cumin, and the remaining olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

All-Clad LTD 12-Inch Round Nonstick Grille Pan - this is the one I use.

Notes: I never follow a recipe exactly. My Dad was a gourmet cook my whole life growing up and even though at the time I thought cooking was “boring”, he did instill in me the idea that recipes are merely guides for the creative cook. If one ingredient sounds better than another, then, go for it.

For example: I’m sure this recipe tastes great with leeks or spring onions. But, I had a plethora of red onions. So guess what? Not only do the red onions make the salad pretty, but their hearty flavoring is great when BBQ-ed. Also, I didn’t use an ENTIRE cup of oil. That is way too much. In fact, I just barely coated the veggies before grilling them and then added not even 1/4 cup of olive oil along with the Balsamic vinegar. That’s all you need.

One last thing… don’t have a BBQ or if you like me, you’re scared of the beast? Get yourself a Grill Pan. What one can do on the BBQ, one can do on a grill pan. I am in love with mine.

Enjoy!

Thanks to RecipeGirl.com for the gorgeous photo!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Grilled Eggplant Salad (simplycooking.wordpress.com)
• Grilled Corn Salad (greenlivingonline.com)
• The Minimalist – 101 Fast Recipes for Grilling – NYTimes.com (nytimes.com)

Once you understand some of the basics regarding the composition of this beloved side dish, you’ll be ready to invent your own soon-to-be-famous recipe!

Though there are as many different kinds of potato salad as there are people who make them, most of these spud concoctions fit into one of two categories: creamy, or vinegar-based.

Keep reading for more potato salad tips…

The six of us have been getting together at least once a month for the last 10-12 years. I honestly don’t remember exactly how long it’s been. But within those years and those visits, we have formed a bond that I know will go on even past this life…Their friendships have carried me through tough times and each one of them has given me the gift of trust. A place that I can unburden myself and know that they support me. I sincerely do not know what I would do without them.

We’ve shared tons of laughter, some tears, weathered our children’s growing up days, the antics of our husbands, divorces, rekindled romances with past loves, more laughter, and of course FOOD! Our get-togethers are always about great food. If we don’t go out to some new restaurant, we meet at one of our homes and bring food that always amounts to an unbelievable meal. Cindy is a great cook, but so are Louise, Joan, Janet and Annie.

In this post, I wanted to share with you Cindy’s fabulous Texas Caviar Dip. This easy appetizer recipe is Heaven in a bowl. Since Memorial Day is just around the corner, this could work perfectly for a picnic or party. I added a couple of ingredients. Try it! You’ll like it! And tell the ones you are closest to how much you love them.

What you’ll need:
- 1 can of white corn, rinsed (or if you are really ambitious, cook your own corn and scrape off 16 ounces worth of corn kernals.)
- 1 can of black-eyed peas, rinsed
- green onion, chopped (to taste)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- red onion, minced (to taste)
- 2 ripe avocados (not too ripe!)
- tomatoes, chopped (to taste)
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
- black pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 cup roasted pine nuts
- chopped cilantro (to taste)
- fresh lime juice

Mix all the ingredients and refrigerate or serve immediately. Serve with baked tortilla chips or corn tortilla chips. DEEEELish!

Link’s Famous Chocolate Sauce Extraordinaire needs no more introduction than that! It is what it says! My sister – amazing singer Julia Wade and her also equally gifted composer, music producer, hubby, Peter Link, take time out of their busy lives to make this chocolate sauce every year and send it out as gifts to us lucky recipients. And they very lovingly gave me the recipe to share here.

Technically, this isn’t an appetizer. But… who’s to say that you couldn’t find creative ways to use this incredible concoction as a means to whet the appetite? Or do as I do and just dip your spoon into it for a moment of heavenly bliss.

For you lucky readers, here is the recipe below. Make it with the idea to inspire your palate. Make it and serve it over plain jane vanilla ice cream or dip salty crackers into a warmed bowl of it. However you choose to use it, make sure you enjoy it!

What you need for Link’s Famous Chocolate Sauce Extraordinaire:

• 6 tbs (3/4 stick or about 1/3 cup) butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 ounces (3 squares) unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tbs light corn syrup

What to do:

Put the butter and water in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring. Add the chocolate and don’t stop stirring until the chocolate melts. The sauce may lump at some point; ignore it. Add the sugar and corn syrup, stir, and then let the sauce simmer gently for 5 minutes. Serve hot. Store what isn’t used in the refrigerator. Gently reheat for use.

Enjoy!  Pig Out.

Thank you Julia and Peter!

For more great recipes – check out our Holiday Appetizers page.