Smokey Southwestern Grilled Romaine Salad
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Smokey Southwestern Grilled Romaine Salad is topped with a delicious creamy avocado cilantro dressing, Queso Blanco cheese, and crunchy almonds.
This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almonds. This recipe and opinions are 100% my own.
I always keep nuts on hand. I love snacking on them, crushing them up in breading for chicken and
It wasn’t too long ago that John and I were on vacation in the Dominican Republic. It should have been pretty easy to watch what I ate. There were so much fresh fruit and grilled fish that I should have lost weight (snicker snicker).
Well, the rest of the story is that we enjoyed this particular rum drink that went down just a little too easy. In addition to rum, it was full of mint and their version of simple syrup. So the truth is, I came home with some work to do in the calorie counting department.
Ingredients you’ll need for this grilled salad
- Romaine Lettuce
- Queso Blanco Cheese (Feta works well too)
- EVOO
- Avocado
- Champagne Vinegar
- Lime
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Almonds
I am all about grilling right now. I think that it just brings out the natural flavors of food. The caramelization that vegetables take on is just delicious. Grilling Romaine adds a smokiness to all of the other flavors already going on.
This salad was so delicious, that I’ve eaten it three times this week already! It makes a great vegetarian meal or you could add some grilled shrimp for your meat lover.
I think you’ll enjoy these recipes too!
- Fresh Greek Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Vegetarian Spinach Power Salad
- Grilled Peach Salad with Honey-Jalapeno Dressing
Smokey Southwestern Grilled Romaine Salad
Ingredients
- 4 heads of romaine lettuce I used artisan which are compact and smaller
- 2 oz Queso Blanco cheese plus additional for garnish
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic
- lime Zest and juice
- 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup cilantro plus additional for garnish
- 1/4 cup almonds roughly chopped (I used Blue Diamond Bold Sriracha flavor)
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients except for the lettuce and almonds. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate until serving.
- Cut heads of romaine in half. Spray with non-stick cooking spray on the cut edge. Grill cut side only on medium-high until grill marks appear.
- Top grilled lettuce with dressing, crumbled Queso Blanco cheese, chopped Blue Diamond Sriracha almonds and additional cilantro if desired.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
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We love salads in the summer and this looks like something that would be the perfect addition to any meal.
yum! good idea
Thank you! I appreciate your stopping by.
I love salads this time of year and this one looks perfect! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! This post has been pinned on the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! I love having you and can’t wait to see you next week!
Thank you Stephanie!
Looks and sounds great, Julie (though I am with Angie, and think I would probably add bacon 🙂 )
Thank you Caroline! Bacon is a good thing!
Julie, this salad looks so inviting and scrumptious! I have never tried grilling lettuce before but looks like I need to give this a try!
Thank you! I really enjoyed this salad. It would be good without grilling the lettuce, but I really enjoyed the smokiness of the grill and the contrast the charred lettuce had.
It makes me hungry just reading the ingredient list! What a gorgeous salad 🙂
Thank you Petra!
This sounds fabulous, Julie! Now can I add bacon to this as well? 🙂
I agree Angie! I was thinking bacon would be great too but held back this one time. That rarely happens but I was a bit fluffy from vacation. 🙂
I love lettuce, but I’ve never tried to grill it! Yours looks amazing and I’m sure it’s very tasty too.
This was a first for me too Ana. It just made it a little fancier. 🙂
Oh wow this is just amazing. … grilling lettuce is a novel one…. loveeee it…
Thank you Chitra! It is just making the rounds and I had to try it.
You have grilled an entire lettuce head…that is remarkable! I am spell bound by the look of it!
I still haven’t grilled romaine yet! This salad looks amazing, Julie!
Thanks Debbie! I really liked the way it set off the other ingredients. Who knows what we’ll throw on that grill next?
That just may be in the cards for Saturday!
What a brilliant idea Julie – I’ve never grilled lettuce before, but I’ve seen similar recipes without the grilling. I love all the flavors going on, and you’re right, a great fresh, healthy and summery dish without the fuss. Very easy on the eyes and waistline too 🙂
Thank you Loretta! I actually was looking through magazines and wondered about it. I really liked the rustic look of it. This salad was really good and would be great for a side or in my case a great lunch.
have always wanted to try a grilled romaine salad – this one looks delish! pinning 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by! I really loved the contrast that the char gives. I appreciate you stopping by!
Grilled romaine sounds very new to me…. but I’m sure it must be very delicate and super good!
Thank you! It has been catching on, and even though I don’t think there is a ton of grilled flavor, I love the contrast of color that it gives to all of the other ingredients.
This looks so good and healthy! Perfect for our hot summer days!
Howdy Arl! I was just thinking of you….my sister of artificial joints. 🙂 How are you getting along? I’m doing well but it’s gone a bit slower than what I expected. Oh well, in the long run it’ll all be good. This salad is so good. That dressing is perfect for so many things. It’s going on chicken tacos tonight. Very happy you stopped by.
Hi Julie! Glad to hear you are doing well, even though a little slower than planned. I know what you mean though …I am doing really good …but, it was slower for me than I thought. The more months that I am post surgery, the better I get though! 🙂
Such a colorful and amazing looking salad 🙂 I’m a vegetarian and it’s simply perfect for me!
It is perfect Winnie! You can load this salad up with tomatoes or peppers or anything else you want. Truthfully, I had one for lunch and was completely satisfied. The protein in the almonds will do it for me. Thank you for stopping by!
This looks so delicious, Julie! I have never grilled lettuce before, but would like to try it. I like nuts better than croutons on salad, too, and the dressing sounds great! What a fun idea for summer. Putting this on my summer bucket list (and pinning).
I’m going to buy lettuce to grill right now. Great reminder!
Thank you Tracey! I’ve been seeing it and just loved the charred flavor and how it contrasted with all of the other flavors. I appreciate you stopping by!
Oh this one is a killer Julie. Summer time is good eating time for me. Salads, grills, light meals is what I count for. Marking to make it soon. Loved it completely.
Thank you Sonal! I think this one is even Diabetic friendly? I need to eat a bit of lettuce so I can make those fritters that you posted!
I bet this is diabetic friendly. Love it!!!
Fabulous dish! I love the idea of sriracha almonds- mmm mmm!! 🙂
Thank you Josette! They are delicious! I could have eaten the can with a beverage containing hops, but that was against the rules :).
Amazing Julie!! Really good!:)
I keep seeing grilled lettuce, I think it’s time I tried it! Your dish looks great x
This is a very tantalizing salad Julie! I would love to dig in for lunch today. Will have to try these new almonds.