Grilled Chopped Summer Salad

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It’s a beautiful day, Vancouver!  The sun is making a go for it and you’ve got plenty to do outside.  Better get while the gettin’s good.   The yard work, gardening, painting and power washing wait for no one.  Now’s your chance.  

Who wants to be stuck to their stove when the weather is so nice?  May is National Salad Month and this Thursday, May 16th is National Barbecue Day.  Why not manage your yard work and make dinner at the same time by grilling something easy for dinner.  Healthy and delicious at the same time, this Grilled Chopped Summer Salad is a cinch to make.  First-of-the-season corn, grilled romaine, avocado, cucumber, tomato and shrimp get tossed with a zesty cilantro avocado dressing.  It’s your first bite of summer in a bowl.  

I like using the mini Romaine lettuce like the ones they sell at Costco because they hold up nicely to grilling.  Keeping some of the Romaine raw adds a nice crunch and freshness.  Veggies are a grill’s best friend, so grill extra.  Tossing on some additional corn, Romaine, and shrimp while you’re at it, means you’ll have the basics for another meal queued up in the fridge. 

The cilantro avocado dressing is creamy, healthy, and absolutely guaranteed to be used to the last drop. This recipe makes enough that you will have some left over for dipping, spreading, or dressing another salad.  Leave the shrimp out, or serve it alongside, and you can make this a nice option for vegetarians.  It is also gluten-free.   

So grab that sunscreen.  Get your grill on!  It’s time to take it outdoors.

Grilled Chopped Summer Salad

• 1 lb., or more, jumbo tail-on shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 3 tablespoons, plus more for grilling, olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder 
• 4 hearts Romaine lettuce 
• 3 ears fresh corn, husked
• kosher or sea salt
• 1 lime, cut in half 
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced into halves
• 2 cups chopped cucumbers
• 2 cups chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1 cup avocado, sliced into chunks 

cilantro avocado dressing

• 1 whole, medium avocado
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup water, plus more as needed for consistency 
• 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems
• 1 small clove garlic, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• juice from 1/2 lime  

Combine shrimp, 3 Tablespoons olive oil, garlic salt, smoked paprika and chili powder in a large zip-top bag.  Transfer to refrigerator and let marinate at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.  

Add all ingredients for dressing to cup of blender or food processor and pulse until smooth.

Line a large baking sheet with foil.  Cut Romaine in half, lengthwise, leaving stem intact, and place 6 halves on baking sheet along with corn.  Chop remaining 2 halves.  Brush 6 Romaine halves and corn with olive oil.  Thread shrimp onto skewers or lightly oil a pan designed for grilling.    

Heat grill to medium high heat.  Grill corn, Romaine, and shrimp, turning as needed, until shrimp is cooked and veggies are lightly charred. Remove from grill and squeeze lime over shrimp.  Sprinkle finished corn and Romaine lightly with sea salt.  

Cut stem off Romaine and loosely chop.  Cut corn off cob.  Combine with tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, and chopped, raw romaine in a large bowl and toss together with dressing.  Top with shrimp. 

– adapted from glowing grilled summer detox salad, pinchofyum.com