Roasted Vegetable Salads

We sure felt the fall weather nipping at us this weekend!  This is the perfect weather for heading out to the local farmers market and stocking up on the final crops of the year. We love all of the varieties of squash, potatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, brussels sprouts, apples, even the very last of the corn.........The offerings are endless.  Consequently, everything that we have been making over the past couple of weeks has been chock full of these delicious vegetables, because they are so fresh and wonderful.  Here are recipes for 2 very delicious salads, featuring grilled vegetables.

Maple Glazed Grilled Vegetable Salad with Monforte Dairy Cheese

We picked up everything for this salad at the Market in Waterloo Square last Thursday. As usual, one of the highlights of that shopping experience is picking up a sampling of cheeses from the Monforte Dairy stand! Use any kind that you like, they are all delicious. We used a cheddar in todays recipe.

This salad is simple as 1, 2, 3!!  Open your fridge and pull out whatever vegetables are calling out to you. Grab some maple syrup, olive oil and freshly ground black pepper and sea salt for basting your vegetables. Turn on your barbecue and  start grilling!!
The cherry tomatoes become so sweet and delicate when they are grilled, they become the centre piece of the dressing! Here is the recipe for what we had in our refrigerator.

1 acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds
2 large eggplants, sliced thickly
2 leeks, scrubbed
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 small bunch of fresh parsley
200 grams Monforte Dairy cheese

1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt

Preheat the barbecue on HIGH for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium. Have a medium sized bowl on hand beside the grill, so that you can remove the cherry tomatoes to the bowl before they split.

Clean and prepare squash, eggplant, leeks and cherry tomatoes as directed.  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Arrange the  squash on the upper rack and grill for 15 minutes.
 Place cherry tomatoes, leeks and eggplant slices on a grill tray and place it directly over the lower grids and continue grilling for 15 minutes. Using a silicone brush, baste the vegetables liberally with maple syrup every 5 minute. Gently remove the cherry tomatoes from the grill as they slowly become soft and golden. Add 3 tbsp of the remaining maple syrup and 1 1/2 tbsp of the remaining extra virgin olive oil to the bowl containing the grilled tomatoes. This becomes the dressing.
Arrange the grilled vegetables on serving plates and drizzle with the grilled cherry tomato dressing. Garnish with chopped parsley and shaved cheese.

Grilled Hangar Steak Salad with Gorgonzola Dressing

This salad is so simple to prepare! Just put everything on the grill, and within 20 minutes, it will be ready to serve. The steak is made even simpler by using The Perfect Steak Marinade, a prepared product that you will find at all stores that carry Broil King Barbecues. It features a zesty blend of balsamic vinegar, white vinegar, vegetable oil, garlic, onion and spices.  You may be surprised to know that it is as close as your local Canadian Tire, Lowes or Home Depot Store!

1 400 gr Hangar Steak

1/2 bottle Perfect Steak Marinade 

2 cobs of corn, husk on, silk removed

2 red peppers, seeded

8 cremini mushrooms

4 cups mixed greens

Garnish:

1/2 red pepper, sliced thinly

1 cup mixed sprouts 

Marinate steak for half an hour in the Perfect Steak Marinade.

•  Preheat grill on HIGH for 5 minutes, then reduce to MEDIUM.
•  Prepare corn, peppers and mushrooms as directed in the Vegetable Grilling Guide .  Put corn, peppers, mushrooms and steak on the grill at the same time. 
• Grill steak as directed in The Perfect Steak grilling chart, for a total of 7-8 minutes.  Grill vegetables as directed in the Vegetable Grilling Chart, and remove when finished.
• Set everything aside to rest and cool while you prepare the Gorgonzola Dressing and assemble the salad. Remove corn from the cobs.
• Assemble salad by spreading a layer of mixed greens on each plate. Top with thin slices of hangar steak, strips of red pepper, mushroom quarters and corn. Drizzle Gorgonzola Dressing over top and garnish with red onion rings and mixed sprouts.

Gorgonzola Dressing
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
2/3 cup Greek yoghurt (at least 2% MF)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Put the Gorgonzola in a small mixing bowl and mash it with a fork. Add the Greek yoghurt, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper and whisk to combine. Serve or store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week.

 

While working with all of these delicious vegetables, someone asked : "Where's the meat?" Imagine?!
Not to worry! Next week we will be back with news and recipes from the annual all pork extravaganza - Geoffrey's Annual Pig Roast. Stay tuned.....................