Crispy grilled romaine hearts topped with grilled avocado, roasted tandoori chickpeas, golden raisins, vegan parmesan cheese, and a creamy tahini dressing! This vegan grilled salad is perfect as an appetizer or as a lunch all on its own!
Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a grilled romaine salad… my dad actually introduced grilled romaine salad to me back when I was in college, dare I say over ten years ago! I used to make it all the time because it was so simple to make and was so delicious and interesting! Why has it taken me so long to get a grilled romaine recipe on the blog? No idea really. But it’s here now! The idea immediately came to mind when I was preparing my article for the July- August issue of Simply Gluten-Free Magazine, my assignment was ‘grilled vegetable recipes’. The first thing that came to mind, was a grilled romaine salad. And I can totally see myself being on a grilled romaine train for the next few weeks. Even more so, I think you’re going to love this Creamy Grilled Romaine Salad as much as I do!
If you read the little blurb at the beginning of the post, you’ll know that there’s minimal ingredients involved in making this Creamy Grilled Romaine Salad, five to be exact (plus dressing), but what I haven’t told you yet is that this salad is ready in just 20 minutes! The creamy tahini dressing has just 4-ingredients too, by the way. You get a hint of sweetness from the golden raisins and maple syrup in the dressing, some fragrant spice from the tandoori chickpeas, and added creaminess from the grilled avocado. And actually this was my first time grilling an avocado too… yum! More of that to come. The steps to getting this salad in your belly fast go like this:
☆ Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Let them dry on a paper towel while you prepare the dressing.
☆ Blend all dressing ingredients together and set aside.
☆ Toss your chickpeas in a bowl with oil, tandoori masala spice, and salt then bake in the oven on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 15 minutes.
☆ In the meantime, grill your romaine lettuce and avocado either on the grill outside, or you can use a skillet (which is actually what I used because it’s snowing today *sigh).
☆ Then toss everything on a plate, sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese, drizzle with some creamy tahini dressing and devour!
Now, if you also haven’t had tandoori masala spice before, it’s totally my go-to when it comes to roasting chickpeas. I have Minimalist Baker to thank for that. If you can find it in the store, perfect! But don’t fret if you can’t. It’s available on Amazon here, but it’s super simple to make from scratch at home and I like to keep it stocked in my spice drawer for when the mood arises. Just Google or search on Pinterest for Tandoori Masala Spice recipe.
If your a grilled romaine skeptic, I hope by now I’ve convinced you to at least give it a try… I mean, my hubby was even on board to give it a go, straying away from the norm– something he’s not too fond of, and he loved it! And if you’re already a grilled romaine lover, well then you go ‘head and get yo grill on sista! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook with your Creamy Grilled Romaine Salad creations!
Creamy Gilled Romaine Salad
Crispy grilled romaine hearts topped with grilled avocado, roasted tandoori chickpeas, golden raisins, vegan parmesan cheese, and a creamy tahini dressing! This vegan grilled salad is perfect as an appetizer or as a lunch all on its own!
Ingredients
- 1 large head of romaine lettuce, stem still attached
- 15 ounce can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon tandoori masala spice
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
- pinch salt
- 1 avocado, sliced
- golden raisins (or regular raisins)
- vegan parmesan cheese
Creamy Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 cup plant milk (I used flax milk)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- pinch salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Let them dry on a paper towel while you prepare the dressing.
- Blend all dressing ingredients together and set aside.
- Toss your chickpeas in a bowl with oil, tandoori masala spice, and salt then bake in the oven on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, grill your romaine lettuce and avocado either on the grill outside, or you can use a skillet with about a tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
- Once your romaine starts to char a bit, remove to a plate and top with tandoori chickpeas, grilled avocado, golden raisins. Sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese, drizzle with some creamy tahini dressing and devour!
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