Grilled Chopped Salad with Home-Style Ranch

By davidv

David's Note: Even vegetables contain natural sugars so when veggies are grilled, those sugars caramelize, giving you terrific flavor and a milder "veggie" taste. In short, this salad doesn't taste like a salad!

Tip: The dressing can be prepared up to 2 days ahead of time. And don’t forget…if you don't have buttermilk, just add 1 Tbsp lemon or vinegar to 1 cup whole milk.

Ingredients

• Dressing:
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced shallots
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 Tbsp chopped chives
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1-1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• Salad:
• Oil, for brushing
• Salt and pepper, for seasoning
• 3 romaine hearts, halved lengthwise, core intact
• 1 zucchini, ends removed and halved lengthwise
• 1 yellow squash, ends removed and halved lengthwise
• 1 red pepper, quartered, seeds and ribs removed
• 1 yellow pepper, quartered, seeds and ribs removed
• 1 sweet or Vidalia onion, cut into 1/2" rings
• 3 ears corn, shucked and cleaned
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from qvc.co

Preparation

Step 1

To prepare the dressing, combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, yogurt, garlic, shallots, parsley, chives, salt, pepper, vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl. Fold in the feta cheese and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To prepare the salad, preheat the grill to medium-high. Lightly brush the cut side of the romaine hearts with oil and then season with salt and pepper. Place the lettuce, cut-side-down, on the grill and cook until grill marks appear, about 30–45 seconds. Remove immediately and set aside.

Brush the zucchini, squash, peppers, onion, and corn with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the vegetables on the grill and cook until there are nice grill marks on each side and they are tender, about 4–5 minutes for the zucchini and squash; about 8–10 minutes for the peppers, onion, and corn.

Remove the core from the romaine and chop it into 1" pieces. Place the lettuce in a large bowl with the halved tomatoes. When the corn is cool enough to handle, remove the kernels with a knife. (Stand the cob up on the thicker end and run the blade down the sides.) Add the corn to the bowl with the lettuce and tomatoes. Chop the rest of the vegetables into 1" pieces and place them in the bowl. Gently toss, and if desired, mix in the dressing before serving.