Grilled Romaine

By Kay MacInnis

You may have noticed that, as the grilling season moves forward, I keep looking for more and more things to cook that way. It’s not just about hamburgers, hot dogs and steaks – not if you want to eat healthy, that is.

There’s a side benefit – the more things I find to cook on the grill, the more cooking I can leave up to my husband, the self-appointed grill master. I just have to do a little prep work.

Take this salad, for instance. Oh, I know what you’re thinking – salad and grilling? But give it a try! It is really good. And it’s good to try something a little different.

There are lots of variations to this salad, another reason why I really like it. Try adding grilled tomatoes – heirloom tomatoes especially are a wonderful addition.

Ingredients:

• 2 romaine lettuce hearts, halved lengthwise
• cooking spray
• 1½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp. ground cracked black pepper
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt

Preparation:

• Place lettuce, cut side down, on grill rack that has been lightly coated with cooking spray.
• Grill 1 minute on each side or until grill marks appear.
• Remove lettuce.
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over grilled romaine.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutritional analysis: 63 Calories, 5.3 grams fat, 3 grams carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 125 mg sodium.

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This is another in a weekly series of healthy recipes from Kay MacInnis, registered dietitian at Providence Hospitals in Columbia.

Kay works in Health and Wellness at Providence, helping cardiac and diabetes patients eat their way to healthier lives. She’s not a chef herself, but in consultation with the actual chefs at Providence, she’s learned a lot over the years as she has worked to help patients help themselves after they leave the hospital.

She also conducts a number of health and wellness events for the public, including the monthly Providence Cooks! classes. There will be no class in July; the program returns in August.

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