Frugal Summer Veggies: Romaine Lettuce
Now that we’re past Labor Day, and the weather is cooling down, I thought I would sneak in some remaining thoughts on summer vegetables. Romaine lettuce is, for most people, a relatively year round offering in most grocery stores, but the recipe below offers a great version for the last of summer barbecues and cookouts. Romaine lettuce (known as cos lettuce in Australia) is highly versatile, and so much more nutritious than iceberg lettuce. In particular, romaine is a great source of vitamins A, C, and K as well as folate; and has very few calories per large serving. It’s also a good source of potassium. Romaine is generally cost effective, often sold in packs of 3 or 6 heads for multiple meals, and holds up better in the refrigerator than more delicate lettuces, resulting in less waste. I serve romaine, instead of iceberg, frequently in salads accompanied by other sliced raw vegetables. When berries are in season, I will often serve a salad made with strawberries and baby romaine leaves. In winter, salad might include shredded carrot and purple cabbage plus sliced romaine leaves. One of my favorite ways to serve romaine is to perk up the flavors and textures with a little heat, and to grill it quickly. If you’ve never tried grilled lettuce, you’re in for a treat. This is also a great base for a grilled Thai steak salad. For an extra special meal, end with grilled peaches and ice cream.
Grilled Romaine Lettuce
2 romaine hearts, washed and dried
olive oil for brushing
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Split the romaine hearts down the middle vertically. Leave the ends intact so that halves are each in one piece. Brush the romaine hearts lightly with olive oil. Over a hot grill, or preheated grill pan, grill on each side about 2 minutes (total cooking should not exceed 5 minutes). Remove from heat and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, or your favorite vinaigrette or Caesar salad dressing.
shared at Frugal Friday, Pennywise Platter, and Food Renegade
This sounds great! I love how simple it is too! Thanks for being part of the carnival!
Wow, what a great way to use some of our csa lettuce!
Hi Kimi, with fresh, wholesome food, simple is often better. Thanks for hosting and commenting.
Hi b kinch, some of the fresh csa lettuce would be great for this!
delicious easy and so good for you
angie, shh, for whatever reason, some people have a weird aversion to eating things that are good for them. All they need to know about this is delicious and easy
I like romaine with crumbled feta cheese, tosted walnuts and sunflower seeds with a little balsamic vinegarrette.
fern, ooh, feta and walnuts sounds great!
This sounds really interesting! I’d never heard of grilled Romaine before, but we are big Romaine fans around here, and I’ll bet this’d be great. Thanks for the inspiring idea
lynn, do try it, and let us know what you think. Thanks for visiting.
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