Grilling Time for Salads

by Meredith Hink MS, RD, CD

A recent trip to one of many wonderful, vegetarian friendly restaurants in the Denver, Colorado area inspired this month's food feature. Although many people are familiar with grilling vegetables, grilled fruit can also add a wonderful flavor to any summer supper. One of the biggest tricks to grilling fruits and vegetables is to make sure that all pieces are approximately the same size so that they grill evenly. Also, if working with "smaller" bites, cover the grill with aluminum foil to preserve your feast from the fire.

Ingredients:

1 -10 oz bag Italian salad mix (romaine and radicchio)
¼ cup cooking wine
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups watermelon, sliced or balled
2 cups cantaloupe, sliced or balled
2 oz walnut pieces

Instructions:

Cover grill with aluminum foil. Heat on a low temperature setting.
Toss lettuce, cooking wine, and olive oil in a bowl. Let sit 5 minutes at room temperature
In a second bowl combine watermelon and cantaloupe.
Once the grill is hot, spread lettuce, watermelon, cantaloupe, and walnuts evenly over the foil. Discard any remaining wine/oil mixture.
Heat for 5 minutes or until salad is a golden brown.
Serve warm. Yields 5 ½ cups of salad.

Photos and recipes contributed by Meredith Hink, MS, RD, CD. Please do not reproduce without .