Salad

Strawberry Salad with Grilled Romaine and Cotija Cheese

A fresh and tasty strawberry salad with grilled romaine, avocado, crispy salami and Cotija cheese. So many flavors in this easy summer salad!

To recipe
strawberry salad with grilled romaine and cotija cheese
Recipe insights & TIPS

This is a sponsored post on behalf of California Strawberries. All thoughts and opinions are my own.A fresh and light strawberry salad with grilled romaine, Cotija cheese and crispy salami.

Easy lunch alert! Strawberry Salad with grilled romaine, avocado and crispy salami.

Strawberry salad screams summer to me! Whenever a fruit can be used just as much in a sweet recipes as savory, you know you have to always have some in the fridge. Strawberries are exactly like that, which is why my fridge always has at least a couple of packs ready to go. The kids eat them everyday which is fine by me because they're being loaded up with natural antioxidants and nutrients. California Strawberries advise eating at least eight strawberries a day, so my kids are blowing that right out of the water! I also love having them around for my daughter who has type 1 diabetes, strawberries have a low glycemic index meaning that we have a better chance of not seeing any spiking blood sugars. In fact, they have half the sugar of a whole apple! Living in California gives me access to some of the best strawberries all year round too so I don't see the price increases that a lot of other berries have when the season ends.

A healthy and light summer lunch strawberry salad loaded with avocado and crispy salami!

One of my favorite salads to make when the summer temps are high is a grilled romaine salad. The flavor that comes from charred leaves really change things up from a regular old green salad. And because strawberries are so versatile, they go really well with the warm romaine. I finished the salad cobb style with crumbled Cotija cheese, crispy salami, fresh cilantro and oregano. I kept things light for the dressing by just whisking together some sour cream, olive oil, cumin and lemon juice. It's a little on the tart side but the sweet strawberries balance things out!

Healthy strawberry salad with grilled romaine and avocado.

It's hard to make this salad any better than it could be, but adding grilled chicken or even blackened shrimp would be epic. Serve with a (tall) glass of Rosé on a warm summer night for the perfect healthy dinner!

A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Recipe

A fresh and healthy strawberry salad on grilled romaine greens.

Course:
Salad
COOKing TIME:
5 minutes
Total TIME:
15 minutes
CUISINE:
Mexican
PREP TIME:
10 minutes
SERVINGS:
2

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 4 slices salami sliced to bacon thickness
  • 1 head romaine lettuce
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 1 cup ripe California Strawberries
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
  • 1/2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 cup crumbled Cotija cheese

Ingredient Swaps

Instructions

  • Whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice, cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper to make the dressing and set aside.
  • Roughly chop the salami and sauté in a pan until crispy. Transfer to some paper towel to drain.
  • Preheat your grill to high and remove the outer leaves of the lettuce.
  • Slice the romaine in half length ways, drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
  • Lay each half onto the hot grill cut side down and girl for about 2-3 minutes or until the romaine starts to get a good char color on it.
  • Transfer the lettuce to a large platter.
  • Slice the strawberries into quarters and place on top of the romaine wedges.
  • Cut the avocado into small dice and add to the romaine followed by the salami chunks, oregano, cilantro and cheese.
  • Lightly drizzle some of the dressing over the romaine and serve at once.

A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @foodnessgracious on Instagram and hashtag it #foodnessgracious so we can see all the deliciousness!