I love this grilled salad! It's often a meal prep item and it works great to serve as a side dish for a cookout. This salad is anything but boring. You get all different kinds of textures and bursts of flavor. Not to mention it's packed with nutrients: vitamin c, vitamin k, folate, and fiber!
By chopping the vegetables the night before and storing them in a resealable bag they are grab and go ready. Can't find fresh corn? Frozen works well too! Set it out while you grill the vegetables to start it thawing. Then when you combine everything the warmth from the grilled vegetables thaws it the rest of the way.
Lemon & Basil Grilled Salad
Amber Carver
Ingredients:
2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into spears
2 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise into spears
4-5 baby bell peppers
3 ears of corn
1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
1 pint of grape tomatoes, quartered
1 small jicama, chopped
3T of fresh basil, chopped
2T of lemon infused olive oil, divided
1 clove minced garlic
For the Dressing:
1/4 cup of lemon infused olive oil
Zest from 1 lemon
1/4 cup of lemon juice
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 clove minced garlic
Directions:
1. Heat grill to medium high.
2. In a zip top bag, combine the squash, asparagus, and baby bell peppers. Pour 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in the bag along with the garlic. Toss to coat vegetables.*
3. Place oil coated vegetables on a sheet pan.
4. Add corn, if using fresh, to the sheet pan and drizzle with remaining oil until lightly
coated.
5. Grill vegetables until crisp tender and grill marks are visible. The corn takes the longest so get it started first.
6. Remove vegetables from grill and set aside to cool.
7. In a large bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk until combined. Set aside.
8. Chop tomatoes, jicama, and the basil. Set aside.
9. Once vegetables are cool enough to handle, chop into bite size pieces and
remove the corn from the cob.
10. Place all grilled vegetables, tomatoes, jicama, and basil in the bowl with the dressing. Toss to coat.
*Tip: I chop my vegetables the night before and place in a zip top bag. You
can also prepare the dressing a week in advance and store it in the
refrigerator. Feel free to make it earlier in the day, allowing it to sit in the
refrigerator for a few hours before serving. If you eat feta or goat cheese this would be a nice addition mixed in.