Grilled Summer Salad :: Memorial Day Weekend

I went to Whole Foods yesterday, in a hurry to grab food for the LONG weekend ahead. My boys' dad is out of town in Mammoth over Memorial Day so I wanted to get everything done beforehand. I stocked up on health snacks, liquids, dinner foods and a few special treats. While rushing through the produce isle I couldn't help but drool over the BEAUTIFUL veggies. I mean, everything look so fresh and full and vibrant. I grabbed red onion, sugar snap peas, radishes, parsnips, radicchio, dandilion greens, asparagus, avocado and everything that looks to-die-for.

I told myself I was going to make a HUGE raw salad with all of these items. Maybe add a little rice vinegar, some seasame oil and seeds?

But once I got home, I realized that the black turnips would be amazing if they were browned. That led me to grilling up the asparagus and radicchio as well {I know, weird, but I had seen it done before}! All I did was head a my pancake skillet with olive oil and sea salt. I didn't raise the heat above low/medium. So, nothing burned or charred.

I layered the salad with a few raw peas, red onion and greens. It seriously turned out amazing and even better than what I had imagined at the store! 

There was no sauce except on the raw dandilion greens I added Whole Foods band no added oil ginger sesame dressing. 

Grilled Summer Salad Recipe
makes 2 main dish salads

2 black turnips, super thinly sliced with knife or mandolin
1 small head radicchio, quartered with stem still attached at bottom 
½ red onion, thinly sliced
1-2 Tbls olive oil
1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off
handful sugar snap peas, thinly sliced, with thick skin still on
2 cups dandilion greens, marinated in a good tahini dressing
sea salt, to taste
handful goat cheese or feta cheese, optional

Place a large pancake skillet on the stove top. Add 1-2 tbls olive oil. Keep flame at low to medium heat. Don't over heat the olive oil. If you want to turn the heat up, use coconut or grapeseed oil. Add sliced turnips until they lightly brown, add sea salt, turn over and do it again {about 5 minutes}. 

Once you remove the softened / lightly browned turnips, add the asparagus and radicchio plus a little sea salt. Brown those as well {see the photo of asparagus above} but don't over cook. 

Meanwhile, chop and then toss the dandilion greens in dressing. Let sit until ready to use. 

Slice the red onion very thing into strips. For the sugar snap peas, you can take the peas out of the pod or leave them in and cut into pieces. They are sweeter if you leave them in the pod. 

Layer the plates with grilled radicchio ----> turnips ----> marinated greens ----> peas ----> red onion ----> asparagus ----> feta cheese or avocado

Mix it all up and enjoy!!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAY WEEKEND! ENJOY & BE SAFE!