Grilled Cantaloupe and Vegetable Salad {Inspired by ABC's The Chew}
Grilled zucchini and corn, sweet cantaloupe, crunchy greens, and grilled shrimp to round out the meal. Salad is one of my favorite weeknight dinners and this one uses some of summer's best ingredients. I love using cantaloupe in savory dishes, and adore grilled fruit on salad - remember this Grilled Apricot Salad? I'm not a meat-eater, but sweet Tuscan cantaloupe with salty prosciutto and a little basil is incredible. This sweet/savory salad with grilled cantaloupe reminds me of those same flavors. When I saw Daphne make a Grilled Cantaloupe and Vegetable Salad on ABC's The Chew, I was inspired to make my own salad with grilled cantaloupe for dinner.
Aren't the colors amazing?! Those grilled veggies were just too pretty to chop up, so I served them in rows on top of the lettuce and cut them up once on my plate and for the kids.
This inspiration for this salad aired on the Summer Menu episode of The Chew. Did you catch it? Michael grilled some chicken to go along with the salad. I wanted our salad to be the main event - you know how I love my one-dish dinners and hate doing dishes. So I grilled some shrimp right along with the veggies to go on top and added some crostini croutons. My kids love Romaine lettuce, or "crunchies" as they call them, but I snuck some baby spinach in too. Our whole family loved the fresh summery flavors of this salad for a weeknight dinner, but it is so beautiful that it would be perfect to bring to a party or picnic.
The Chew is one of my favorite cooking shows. The hosts are all so sweet and funny. You know a BBQ with this group would be a good time!
Grilled Cantaloupe and Vegetable Salad {Inspired by ABC's The Chew)
printer friendly recipe
Yield: 4
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, on skewers (optional)
- 1 ear Sweet Summer Corn, husk removed
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips
- 1 medium cantaloupe, halved, seeded, skin removed and cut into 1-inch thick wedges
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped (I added in some baby spinach)
- 2 Persian cucumbers, or 1 English cucumber, sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, any color, halved
- croutons (optional)
- 1 small bunch fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup Daphne Oz's Red Wine-Shallot Vinaigrette (or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, sea salt, and pepper)
Instructions:
- Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Coat grates with oil. Season shrimp lightly with salt and pepper, if using. Place shrimp skewers on the grill and cook until pink on the outside and opaque in the middle, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from grill. Meanwhile, place the corn on the grill and cook until browned in places. I like the corn on the more raw side, if you like yours more soft, cook for 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally. Grill the zucchini until tender-crisp, about 3-4 minutes per side. Grill the cantaloupe until grill marks show up, about 2 minutes per side.
- Cut the corn kernels off the cob. Leave the other vegetables and cantaloupe in large pieces, or cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Place lettuce in a large serving bowl or platter. Arrange grilled shrimp, vegetables, cantaloupe, cucumbers, tomatoes, and croutons on top. I like to arrange the ingredients in rows.
- Tear or chiffonade basil and sprinkle over the salad.
- Dress salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper, or Daphne's Red Wine Shallot Vinaigrette.
I'm always looking for new ways to spice up my Summer dishes, and ABC’s The Chew serves up everything from grilling and outdoor entertaining to road trips and picnics. Watch weekdays 1e|12p|c on ABC to see what celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Michael Symon, and Carla Hall, lifestyle expert Clinton Kelly and fresh face of healthy living Daphne Oz are dishing out to inspire you this Summer.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of ABC’s The Chew. The opinions and text are all mine.