Grilled Vegetable & Orange Salad with Cajun Vinaigrette

Though the name of this salad suggests the ideal method of preparation, there are other ways you can cook the veggies when a grill is not available or the weather is not friendly to outdoor cooking. Some ingredients, like the snap peas, are better cooked in boiling water and cooled immediately in ice water. You can serve this salad warm but personally, I like to let the veggies cool a little bit.

Salad ingredients:

Romaine, sliced

Arugula

Corn, on husk

Fennel bulb, julienned

Red bell pepper, cut into triangles

Yellow bell pepper, cut into triangles

Plum tomatoes, quartered and seeded

Mushrooms, quartered
Snap peas

Olive oil

S & P to taste

Orange, segments

Cilantro, freshly chopped

Cajun vinaigrette ingredients:

Grainy Dijon

Garlic, minced

Ginger, minced (optional)

Sambal oelek (substitute with fresh, finely chopped chilies)

Honey

Cajun spice

Lemon zest

S & P to taste

Red wine vinegar

Olive oil

* Before doing anything else, cut the lettuce and place in a container big enough to hold with water, ice and a drop of vinegar. This helps to keep the lettuce nice and crispy. Strain and dry when needed.

* When making the vinaigrette, use either an immersion or standup blender and pour the oil in a slow, steady stream. This helps the vinaigrette to hold together better.

* Allow for veggies to cool before tossing with vinaigrette, orange segments and cilantro. Serve over the lettuce mix.