As I sit to write the posts for this website, 2-3 times a week, often I find myself lacking the words. I am no writer, have never claimed to be. I am sure my sentence structuring is atrocious, I am certain my posts are littered with typos and poor punctuation skills. I generally didn’t start this website to share my personal thoughts on life or my beliefs, as often as they do trickle into the pages by default. I mostly have always had a strong desire to help make a difference for those, like me, that struggle with their health, are challenged by navigating the ever-evolving landscape of eating and food and what it truly means to be well.
As our worlds are all constantly changing and shifting, as life seems to get busier than ever for us all, I find myself more called to want to simply live my life without a filter, to share my experiences in all their realness and hopefully, simultaneously, inspire you to be excited about getting into the kitchen and tapping into your own creativity. I want you to approach food and your health without fear. I want you all to feel empowered to be your own advocates and to never settle for anything other that feeling amazing, every day. My hope is also that through sharing my recipes, how-to’s and other tips here on the website and on social media, that everyone knows eating well doesn’t always have to be about the crazy flavor combos and complicated ingredients that you can only buy online or at a specialty food store. I think we all have to admit that even though weeknight meals deserve a little flair sometimes, a totally boring, basic bitch meal of veggies and some baked fish, that isn’t exactly instagram-able – that’s totally OK, too.
I think that is why I have found myself enjoying platforms like Snapchat (find me on there: tastyyummies) and Instagram Stories (@tastyyummies) so much more. It’s the little moments, the behind the scenes, the un-curated and the perfectly imperfectly. I want people to see that while many of us bloggers create beautifully styled plates of food for our websites and our social feeds, for many of us, the rest of the meals look just like yours. Splashes of sauce on the edge of the bowl, the dressing a bit runnier than you’d like, no garnish and a janky paper towel instead of a fine linen napkin.
If my content and my words here on the website and the messages I shared on my social ever put me in a place that made how I live, cook and eat unobtainable to any of you than I would be sorely failing and I would be devastated. It might surprise you to know that more than any press features or mentions, beyond any awards or accolades, what makes me far happier… is when I get a message that one of you made one of my recipes on the very day it went live here on the website. That means I have done my job. You had the ingredients in your pantry, it was an approachable recipe and you could just jump right in. Anyhow, I digress, I’m doing it again, babbling on about nothing….let’s get into the food.
I love grilled romaine lettuce salads and it is something we enjoy often throughout the summer. A sophisticated, yet very simple to execute side dish for those summer grilling nights, when you are sick of the same ‘ol green salad. I am sharing one of my personal favorite flavor combos that has been on repeat this summer, I cant stop putting blueberries on my salads, they bring a little tartness and just a little sweetness, but most favorite is how small they are, they just go right into your mouth and their is a little flavor explosion as you bite in and they burst open. But, of course, feel free to mix it up, use tomatoes instead of berries or maybe add some crispy bacon or pancetta. If you are grilling up your main, you can either prep the romaine ahead of time or as you take the main off the grill and let it rest, you can quickly cook up the romaine hearts.
The Creamy Lemon Tarragon Vinaigrette is simple to make and the flavors are perfect together, a little tart, a little peppery with a hint of anise-flavor from the tarragon and it’s of course, creamy and rich. It compliments this smokey salad, perfectly. I use homemade unsweetened coconut yogurt, but you can also use regular dairy yogurt, Greek-style, goat or sheep’s milk, whatever works.
Romaine is a great option for grilling as it’s sturdy and hold up well with the charred and smoky flavors from the grill. Serve along side grilled fish or better yet a beautiful local, grass fed steak or pork chop.
Grilled Romaine Salad with Blueberries, Avocado and Creamy Lemon Tarragon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 3 heads romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise, rinsed and dried
- 2 tablespoons Terra Delyssa Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- 1 Avocado, diced
- Fresh Chives, thinly sliced
- Lemon wedges
Creamy Lemon Tarragon Vinaigrette
- ½ cup yogurt, I use homemade coconut yogurt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
- 2 tablespoons Terra Delyssa Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients and whisk well to combine. Set aside in the fridge to let the flavors come together.
- Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to medium-high. (Alternatively, heat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat.) Brush and oil the grill grates.
- Cut each romaine head in half lengthwise. Trim outside leaves but leave the stem attached; it holds the leaves together. Drizzle the cut side of each half with a little olive oil.
- Working in batches, if necessary, place romaine halves cut-side down on grill, and cook, turning once, until charred and slightly wilted, about 4 minutes.
- You want the lettuce to be a little wilted but still hold its shape.
- Transfer to a serving platter cut side up. Top with diced avocado and blueberries. Drizzle the vinaigrette over top and garnish with lemon wedges and chives.
- Serve immediately. You can either serve the hearts whole, or chop them and toss them for a salad.
