Charred vegetables lend smoky, earthy contrast to cool, crunchy lettuce and creamy avocado-mayonnaise dressing in this luscious main course or side dish. For a fancier look, arrange the lettuce, chopped vegetables, and seeds on 2 dinner plates and serve the dressing on the side.
Ingredients List
For the Salad
- 5 oz medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick strips
- 3 radishes, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices (if grilling on a grill, place in a vegetable basket or skewered onto skewers)
- 4 oz (about 12 medium) asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 4 oz Romaine heart, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds
For the Dressing
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 avocado
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp (good-quality ) mayonnaise, such as Sir Kensington’s Avocado Oil Mayonnaise or Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves or Italian parsley leaves
Instructions
- Preheat a grill or grill pan at medium-high heat. In a bowl, combine the zucchini, radishes, and asparagus with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the vegetables on the hot grill and cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Turn the vegetables and cook for 3 minutes more. Continue cooking, turning every 3 minutes, until the vegetables are tender throughout; if they’re browning too quickly, move them to the edge of the grill or grill pan. Set aside the vegetables on a cutting board.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing: in a food processor or blender, combine the olive oil, avocado, lime juice, mayonnaise, vinegar, and cilantro. Process until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- To serve the salad, place the chopped lettuce in a serving bowl. Chop the grilled vegetables into bite-size pieces (asparagus on the bias, zucchini into chunks, radishes diced) and add them to the bowl. Add the dressing, toss, season to taste with salt and pepper, and divide among 2 dinner plates. Sprinkle each with the sunflower seeds enjoy.
Looks fancy, tastes great, and pretty easy to make! My dinner guests were impressed. This dish can easily debut for brunch, lunch, or a light but filling dinner.
Made this for a brunch and it was a big hit! I roasted the veggies instead of grilling them and it turned out great. I also used both zucchini and yellow squash, and added pumpkin seed as well as sunflower seeds. I doubled the recipe but only used 1 -1/2 avocados instead of 2 avocados for the dressing, otherwise, it would have been too thick.
Served this with grilled meat for company last night. This is a keeper!