Grilled Vegetable Salad

I have always had a love for cooking, but what really inspired me to cook more at home and was watching cooking shows on TV.

When I first started watching them I was in awe – I couldn’t’ believe how much you could do with food and what you could come up with with a little creativity. It became so intriguing to me and in a way an art form.

One person that really changed the way I approach cooking was the extremely talented Bobby Flay. The talent there is just ridiculous and he is an inspiration to me as I’m sure he is to many others out there.  What I love about him is not only his approach to cooking, but he’s very down-to-earth in his cooking shows. Not to mention, the way he explains what he does really makes you feel like I CAN DO THAT!

I came across this grilled vegetable salad recipe one day watching his grilling show and it really stuck out to me. It’s all about the freshness, flavor and color in this dish. In short, it’s beautiful when you present it, making it perfect side for parties or dinners when you want to impress.

This will pair perfectly with some grilled fish or even make a large portion for guests. They will absolutely love it. I made mine a little bit different than the original Ratatouille recipe (using what I had on hand) and it turned out wonderful!

Ingredients:

3 zucchini, halved
3 yellow squash, halved
1 red onion, halved with skin on
Canola oil
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

1. Heat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Brush zucchini, squash, and red onion with canola oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Grill until both sides are charred and tender.
4. Remove from grill and cut squash and zucchini into chunks.
5. Take skin off of the onion and cut into thick slices.
6. Toss grape tomatoes in canola oil and season with salt and pepper.
7. Place in a grilling basket and grill until lightly charred. (If you don’t have a grilling basket you can put them in a foil packet.)
8. To assemble the salad, put the vegetables in a large salad bowl, add in the basil, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
9. Salt and pepper and toss until well combined.

Source: Food Network