Grilled Romaine Salad

Grilling is one of my favorite things during the summertime for the obvious reasons. It's tasty, easy to clean up and I love the flavor of anything we cook on it. The hubs is old school--he had a huge charcoal grill that doubles as a smoker and prefers not to cook with gas on the grill. While it is a little more time consuming, I believe the wait it worth it when the food comes off the grill.

Doing the same old chicken, pork, etc. can get a little boring come summer's end, so a couple of weeks ago we decided to try doing a grilled romaine salad. It sounds a bit strange, but I definitely recommend giving it a try. The leaves get a perfect little char on them but still stay nice and crunchy. For this version, we added some smoky bacon, grilled corn, blue cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette. You could make this a ton of different ways--next time I want to try a more citrus-y version and add some grilled salmon on top.

Grilled Romaine Salad

1 head romaine lettuce

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 ear corn

1/4 cup bacon, diced

2 T. blue cheese

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Half romaine head lengthwise and brush with olive oil. Use remaining olive oil and brush over corn ear. Add both romaine lettuce, split side down, and corn to grill. Remove romaine from grill once leaf edges begin to char. Rotate corn on grill until all sides are cooked completely.

While lettuce and corn rest, combine balsamic vinegar, EVOO and a dash of salt and pepper and whisk to combine.

Once dressing is made, remove corn kernels from cob. Top romaine halves with corn, bacon, blue cheese and balsamic.

We served this alongside some other grilled veggies for a lighter meal, but this would be good with steak or pork chops as well.

Serves 2

Brussels are the best!

I don't think that I've ever shared my love for Brussels sprouts. At least on this blog...friends, family, co-workers have all heard how much I love them. It was about time I shared my love of them with the interwebs. Brussels sprouts can be prepared in a multitude of ways. Crispy, sauteed, and even fried. One of my good friends makes a nice, creamy version with bacon that are delish. However, when I fix them at home, I prepare them in the simplest manner possible--roasted in the oven. Roasting brussels sprouts in the oven is just perfect--each little sprout is the perfect mix of crunchy but soft at the same time. And don't even get me started on the crispy little leaves that fall off the sprout and carmelize in the oven. Ah! I just can't get enough!

When picking out your Brussels sprouts in the grocery store, look for the ones that are a good green color, are firm and have compact leaves. Avoid those that look puffy and have yellow or holey leaves on the outside.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Serves 2

15-20 Brussels sprouts, stems removed and quartered

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add Brussels sprouts to a large bowl and drizzel with olive oil and balsamic vinegar until well coated. Add salt and pepper and toss to cover. Add sprouts to baking sheet lined with foil and roast for 15-20 minutes or until caramelized.