Grilled Vegetable Salad with Creamy Feta Vinaigrette

I have this problem, one I'm trying to address.  I buy something from the market or grocer, needing it for a certain recipe or to satisfy a specific craving. And then, once that solitary need is met, I'm left wondering what to do with the remainder. 

For whatever reason, this seems to happen all the time with feta cheese.  There are only so many Greek Salad we can make before I get sick of that salty snack.  It's not a cheese I eat plain or on crackers, my go-to methods for getting rid of excess cheese (not really a chore...).  Sure, I blended it into the Turkey Artichoke Meatballs, giving them some extra richness and flavor.  I used some in the Tilapia Cakes that I'll soon share with you. 

The cast of characters

But, aside from random recipes or adding it to random salads, I struggle to think about what to do with the remainder of the package It’s a strongly flavored cheese, so a little goes a long way—even my heavy hand with cheese can’t put more than a tablespoon or so into a big salad.  Consequently, some always ends up, lost and forgotten, in the deli drawer of the fridge.

Some was languishing in the fridge the other day when I stumbled across The Bitten Word’s recipe for a Creamy Feta Vinaigrette.  AHA!  Don’t put the cheese in the salad, put it on the salad!  Or better yet, don’t put it on salad at all.  Use it to top fish, shrimp, chicken, grilled veggies, as a dip, or in any other vehicle you can find. 

I don’t know why this seemed so revolutionary, but it did.  I thought it would be a good, different way to introduce this salty, savory goodness into my life.  And it was.  Plus, it’s soooooo easy.  Not like when a chef says easy and you still use 10 pots and 20 techniques.  REAL easy, as in you throw a bunch of stuff into a blender and press the button.

Plus, serving it meant I got to use my cute little creamer for the first time, so I knew I’d be predisposed to like it.  And I did.  The vinegar really sets off the feta’s salty richness, the olive oil smoothes it out, and lots of dill and pepper

The prettiest still life I've ever seen...

Yes, dill—the recipe calls for oregano, but I had bunches of fresh dill, so you can guess why I used it.  And I didn't want just a simple lettuce bowl to showcase this dressing.  No, its bold flavors call for something much more robust.  I had a bunch yellow squash, some red onions, and some already roasted peppers from FIL's garden, so building a Grilled Vegetable Salad was a no-brainer.  It really, really worked.  The caramelized onions' sweetness balanced the salty richness; the squash's mild flavor was a perfect plate to showcase the creamy, sharp dressing.  Work in some protein somehow--grilled chicken, fish, or tofu--and this would easily become a hearty meal.  

Thus, my slightly modified recipe, as well as my recipe for grilled vegetable salad, after the JUMP. 

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Creamy Feta Vinaigrette

Serve the vinaigrette with anything, or as an easy dip for crudites.  It's that good. The feta vinaigrette makes about 3/4 cup.  Also, I'm not giving quantities here for the salad, as the dressing keeps for a few days and makes much more than you need for a salad. 

Romaine lettuce, torn into large pieces

Yellow squash and/or zucchini, sliced into 1/2" slices on the slight diagonal

Red onion, cut into 1/2" slices

Red pepper (or hot peppers of any variety), roasted, skinned and torn/sliced into big pieces

Sugar snap peas or green beans, trimmed

2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon fresh dill

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1.  Make the vinaigrette.  Pulse feta, red wine vinegar, water, dill, and olive oil in a food processor or blender until the vinaigrette is smooth. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. 

2. Grill vegetables. Toss squash, zucchini and onion slices with olive oil, S&P.  Grill or grill-pan until blackened in spots and softened, 6-8 minutes (onions might take longer). Remove to a plate. 

3. Compose salad.  Place romaine in a wide bowl and lightly season with S&P.  Arrange grilled vegetables, peas/beans, and peppers in groups over the top.  Serve vinaigrette on the side.  Save remainder for later use, if you can keep yourself from dipping all sorts of whatevers into it.