Vegetable Salad with Yogurt Cucumber Dressing
 So, you've gone shopping to the local farmer's market and
you realize that your eyes were bigger than your refrigerator. When I have too
many vegetables, I grill them for a salad. The more vegetables, the better, so
feel free to expand on the ones I suggest here. Sometime I sprinkle the salad
with pumpkin seeds, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and a grating of fresh
Parmesan.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, preferably white balsamic
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, grated and squeezed to remove excess
moisture
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing the vegetables (or olive oil in
a spray bottle)
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
1 medium yellow squash, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
1 medium globe eggplant or 2 medium Japanese eggplants, cut lengthwise into
3/4 inch thick slices
2 medium red bell peppers (or use 1 red and 1 yellow pepper), tops and
bottoms trimmed, flesh opened into one long strip, ribs and seeds removed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups assorted greens (preferably a combination of baby spinach, stemmed
watercress, Bibb lettuce and Belgian endive leaves)
1 pint grape tomatoes
chopped fresh chives, for garnish
Preparation:
Process the yogurt, buttermilk, mustard, vinegar and
garlic in a food processor until smooth. Add the cucumber and chives and
pulse to combine. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Cover and
refrigerate. (The dressing can be made up to 2 days ahead, covered and
refrigerated.)
Build a charcoal fire in an outdoor grill and let it burn until the coals
are covered with white ashes. For a gas grill, preheat on high. Lightly oil
the grill grate.
Brush the asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant with the oil (or
spray with oil in a spray bottle). In batches, grill the vegetables,
removing them from the grill as they are cooked. Place the asparagus on the
grill across the grill grate, so they don't fall through. Grill, rolling the
asparagus on the grill to turn, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes,
depending on the size of the spears. Grill the zucchini, yellow squash and
eggplant, turning once, until tender, about 8 minutes. Grill the peppers
until the skin is charred and blistered, about 10 minutes. Cool, then peel.
Cool the vegetables. Chop into bite-size pieces and season to taste with
salt and pepper. You may keep the vegetables separate, or mix them together.
Arrange the greens on a large platter. Arrange the vegetables in separate
mounds on the greens (or mound the mixed greens in the center). Surround
with the tomatoes and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately, with the
dressing passed on the side.
Recipe created by Art Smith
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