Grilled Romaine and Pepper Salad

I love grilled veggies and salads, and grilled veggie salads! The warm weather is here and it is time to have a little fun with your salad on the grill! I think this is great without dressing and has amazing flavor but if you are a dressing person you can top it with some salsa or a vinaigrette. It is time to heat up your salad routine, summer is almost here!

Grilled Romaine and Pepper Salad

makes 2 meal servings or 4 side dish portions

2 artisan romaine heads, or regular heads romaine lettuce

2 bell peppers, any color, or 4 halves of different colors (used combination of red, yellow, and orange peppers)

2 shallots or half a red onion

1 pint grape, or small tomatoes

1-2 avocados, using 1 if making two salads and 2 if making 4 salads

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat grill to high. Prepare vegetables, wash and cut the romaine heads in half, length wise, keeping the core on so they stay together. Wash and cut peppers in half removing the steam and insides. Peel shallots and cut in half, length wise. Wash tomatoes and cut in half. Cut avocados in half, remove pit, and scoop out avocados keeping them intact but removing the skin.

With the grill on high place romaine halves cut side down on the grill for a couple of minutes just until they have nice grill marks and remove from the grill and let cool. Turn heat to medium high and place peppers and onions on the grill cut side down. Grilling the vegetables will go quick so watch them. Once peppers start to soften and get a little charred flip them, a couple of minutes. Add avocados cut side down and tomatoes, placing the tomatoes along one of the cross bars so they don’t fall through. The avocados will grill fairly quick just leaving them on there long enough to warm up and get grill marks than flipping them. Remove peppers once skins have bubbled and at this time the onions and tomatoes will be done as well.

Once peppers, onions, and avocado have cooled to the touch slice the peppers and avocado into strips and slice the onion into slices. To plate the salad top romaine halves with pepper slices, onion slices, tomatoes, and avocado. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!