Grilled Veggie Fajita Salad

I really cannot contain my excitement that grilling season is here. From about May – September I use the grill nearly every day. One reason being is that it doesn’t heat up the house. Another reason being, things on the grill taste freaking spectacular.

Grilled Veggie Fajita Salad | edibleperspective.com

This sort of hipster, Tex-Mex style restaurant—Is that seriously a thing? Yes, it is.—in our neighborhood recently added a Fajita Salad to their menu. I brushed it off the first time I saw it, thinking, how good could it really be? I’m always so underwhelmed with restaurant salads.

But I also always leave this restaurant having to be rolled out the door. Seriously the chips! No wait, the margaritas. Okay, both. So I finally decided to give it a go one day and now it’s the only thing I order.

Grilled Veggie Fajita Salad | edibleperspective.com

Not only is the salad hu-uge but it is packed with fresh veggie fajitas, corn salsa, black beans, and other goodness I am probably forgetting. The salad is so juicy you don’t even need to add dressing!

So in honor of the official start of grilling season and salad month [woot!] I’m deeming May my new favorite month of the year. Even though it’s already nearing an end.

It makes sense that May is salad month, though. It’s when we’re all pulling out of our winter, carbo-load, hibernation mode and saying, FEED ME THE GREENS. Or at least that’s what happens to me.

Grilled Veggie Fajita Salad | edibleperspective.com

Grilled Veggie Fajita Salad | edibleperspective.com

Grilled Veggie Fajita Salad | edibleperspective.com

Grilled Veggie Fajita Salad | edibleperspective.com

Earthbound Farm is obviously going crazy about salad month. It’s kind of their thing. They’ve put together some really fun info-graphics to celebrate, and I just had to share my favorite about salad dressing.

I’ve been a big fan of making my own dressings at home for the past few years and think this chart is a great place to start. I know making salad dressing can sound like an intimidating task, but EBF breaks it down in a simple, easy to understand way. I’m all about visual learning!

I like to go about 1/2 + 1/2 with the oil + dressing. Just give your dressing a taste test with a slice of cucumber or lettuce leaf and then adjust from there.

Image via Earthbound Farm

Salad Dressing 101 by Earthbound Farm

Today’s post is sponsored by Earthbound Farm.  Product opinions are always my own.  Thank you for supporting the occasional sponsored post that helps fund all the deliciousness + behind the scenes action you see here.

Grilled Veggie Fajita Salad | edibleperspective.com

So with my newly acquired addiction of the fajita salad at the hipster restaurant I decided it just had to be recreated at home. The marinade makes for some flavor-packed and super-juicy fajita veggies. Oh, so good.

If you are without a grill, not to worry! Using your stovetop will also work. And if you’re not into the idea of a making this into a salad feel free to pile the fajita veggies on top of quinoa or rice and eat a simpler salad on the side. Or, wrap up the veggies in tortillas. Whatever suits your fancy.

Grilled Veggie Fajita Salad | edibleperspective.com

This salad is best served hot off the grill but you can also let the veggie mixture chill after cooking and throw together some killer lunch salads for work. Just keep the greens and veggies separate until you’re ready to eat!

Feel free to go crazy with the toppings. I threw on some quinoa, avocado, tortilla chips [obviously], green onions, and salsa verde.

Salad month rules.

Grilled Veggie Fajita Salad | edibleperspective.com

Print this!

adapted from my Juicy Veggie Fajitas

Grilled Veggie Fajita Salad

gluten-free, vegan // yields 4 servings

For the marinade:

• 6 tablespoons safflower oil, or other high-heat safe oil
• 6 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3/4 – 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 chipotle adobo pepper in sauce, seeds removed for less heat

For the fajitas:

• 4-5 med/large portabella mushrooms
• 3 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 medium sweet onion, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups sweet corn, fresh or frozen
• 1 1/2 cups black beans, rinsed + drained
• 1 large head romaine hearts, or 2-3 small hearts
• 1, 5oz package mixed baby greens

toppings:green onions, salsa, avocado, avocado cream, black bean cream, plain Greek yogurt, cheese, tortilla chips, quinoa, rice, cilantro

instructions: Place all marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add an additional adobo chili pepper for more spice if desired and blend again.

Remove the portabella stems and scrape the black gills with a spoon. Wipe the top of the mushroom with a damp towel to clean. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet and spoon marinade over the top of each mushroom. Flip and spoon marinade on the underside of each mushroom to coat. Flip back over, and let sit for 30 minutes.

Place sliced peppers and onions in a large bowl and give a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Pour marinade over the vegetables, reserving about 1/4 – 1/3 cup. Toss to coat and let sit for 30 minutes.

Chop romaine head in half and rinse well. Thoroughly pat the leaves dry. [You want to avoid moisture when grilling romaine.] Drizzle a bit of oil overtop and lightly salt + pepper.

Preheat your grill to about 375-400* Fahrenheit. Place onions and peppers in a 10-12-inch cast iron skillet [or baking sheet] and set on the grill once fully preheated. Let cook for about 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes or so. Once softened and starting to char stir in the corn and beans and another few tablespoons of the marinade. Toss to combine and let cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Grease your grill grates and place the portabellas on the grill. Grill on each side for about 3-4 minutes until softened and grill marks appear. Remove from the grill along with the fajita veggies, then place the cut side of your romaine on the grill for about 2 minutes until just starting to brown. Flip once for another 1 minute then bring inside and chop. Avoid over-grilling. [grilling romaine is optional – if not grilling simply chop raw romaine and toss with mixed greens]

Toss romaine with about 1/2 the package of mixed baby greens in individual bowls or 1 large serving bowl right before serving. Slice the portabella mushrooms. Top the lettuce with fajita veggies, portabella, quinoa, and whatever other toppings you choose. Serve immediately.

Notes:

If cooking quinoa: Start while marinating the veggies - Place a medium pot over medium heat with a drizzle of oil. Once hot add the quinoa and stir for about 3 minutes. Pour in 1 1/4 cups water and stir. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to a constant simmer for 15 minutes. Keep covered and do not stir while cooking. Check to make sure all water is absorbed then set aside keeping covered. Fluff with a fork after 10 minutes then set aside. No need to keep the quinoa hot as the hot fajita veggies will warm it up on the salad.

Grilled Veggie Fajita Salad | edibleperspective.com

Hope you all have a lovely + delicious Memorial Day weekend.

Ashley

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza Crust [& vegan!]

I never thought the day would come where I’d be posting a recipe for gluten-free pizza. Let alone, grilled gluten-free pizza. And also vegan!

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza [& vegan!] | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

It’s pretty hard to come by gluten-free pizza crust that is actually worth eating. I usually just skip that option on the menu because more often than not they’re dry, crumbly, and/or mealy.

Making gluten-free pizza crust at home was just one of those things I kind of wrote off. Similar to how I initially wrote off creating gluten-free cookies, brownies, and scones. However, I think pizza was the most intimidating.

[The crust is vegan but obviously not this cheese.]

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza [& vegan!] | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

I’m not sure exactly how many trials this took to get just right but I can definitely say it was a lot. I wanted to do something a little different, using as many whole grain flours as possible. I started with a blend of millet flour, quinoa flour, sweet rice flour, and oat flour but couldn’t get it just right.

And while I typically don’t use starches in my flour blends it was apparent that’s what this crust needed. I decided on potato starch and it was crucial in giving the crust a lighter, crisper texture. I thought at first I could use sweet rice flour instead of potato starch but it ended up giving the crust a bit of a pasty texture while chewing. Potato starch worked much more successfully.

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza [& vegan!] | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

But even with the use of potato starch this crust is made up of nearly 75% whole-grain flours, which is pretty uncommon for GF pizza.

And I must admit the texture surpassed my expectations.

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza [& vegan!] | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

So what are the two most important parts of this recipe?

1. Make sure your yeast activates and becomes foamy, like the photo above. If it doesn’t activate, your dough won’t rise and that will be bad news for your pizza night.
2. Be sure to knead your dough for at least a full 5 minutes. Right around 5 minutes you’ll feel the dough become much softer, smoother, and more pliable. This is crucial!

Here are a few process shots for you to check out:

Kneading.

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza [& vegan!] | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

After the 45 minute rise.

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza [& vegan!] | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

Before rolling out the dough.

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza [& vegan!] | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

After rolling to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness.

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza [& vegan!] | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

Lightly crimping the edges and brushing with oil.

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza [& vegan!] | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

The end result is a thin crust pizza that won’t fall limp with a pretty hefty amount of toppings. It’s crispy from edge to edge but not in a break-your-teeth kind of way. The interior has a soft, bready texture and the flavor has a lot of nuttiness from the oat, quinoa, and millet flours.

Since finalizing the recipe I’m pretty sure this has been made an devoured at least 4 times by Chris + myself but it was also approved by a crowd of non-gluten-free friends.

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza [& vegan!] | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

But wait, there’s more!

You also have the option to GRILL your pizza crust! There are a few more steps involved but it’s totally doable and fun!

This recipe and the rest of the grilled spread you see here was work for a freelance job with Frontier Natural Products Co-op. The other recipes I created and photographed were for Smoked Paprika + Lemon Grilled Asparagus and Grilled Polenta with Caprese Salad.

I highly recommend you head over to their Grill The Goodness site to get the details on how to grill this pizza and the other recipes you see here. You’ll also find 3 other grilling menus with spectacular vegan, vegetarian, and seafood options. And, as you check out each recipe you’ll find $1.50 off coupons for Frontier spices. Can’t beat that!

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza [& vegan!] | edibleperspective.com #vegan #glutenfree

Print this!

You can find all of the pizza grilling details and more tips + tricks on Frontier’s Grill the Goodness website!

The Best Gluten-Free Pizza Crust [& vegan!]

gluten-free, vegan // yields 4-6 servings

crust:

• 1 1/4 cups gluten-free oat flour
• 1 cup potato starch, not potato flour
• 2/3 cup quinoa flour
• 2/3 cup millet flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

herb mixture:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons Frontier dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon Frontier dried sweet basil
• 1/2 teaspoon Frontier garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon Frontier red pepper flakes, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

yeast mixture:

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened soymilk, divided
• 2 - 2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast, 1 packet - 7 grams
• 1 teaspoon pure cane sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground flax meal
• 3 tablespoons warm water
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil, divided

1. In a large mixing bowl [ceramic works well for dough] stir together the oat flour, potato starch, quinoa flour, millet flour, baking powder, salt, herbs, garlic, red pepper flakes, and black pepper until well mixed.  Set aside.
2. Place soymilk in a small saucepan and gently warm over low heat until it reaches 105-115 degrees. It will feel just warm but not hot.
3. Pour 3/4 cup of the milk into a cereal-sized bowl, sprinkle the yeast over top, and then the sugar. Whisk for just a few seconds then let sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. The yeast should rise and become very foamy once activated. If it does not become foamy it has not activated and you need to start this step over.  It is most likely due to the milk being too hot or too cold.  If it’s too hot the milk will kill the yeast.
4. While the yeast mixture rests, whisk together the flax and water for 20-30 seconds until it starts to thicken. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. The flax mixture should be thick and gelatinous in texture after sitting.
5. Form a well in the center of the flour mixture with your hand pour in 3 tablespoons of oil, the flax mixture, and the yeast mixture. Stir with a large spoon until the mixture is combined. It will be dry and crumbly and not dough-like at this point.
6. Slowly drizzle in leftover warm milk [about 1T at a time] and knead in the bowl until the mixture comes together and forms a dough ball. About 1 minute. I used just over 1/4 cup extra milk, but you may need slightly more/less.
7. Sprinkle a very light coating of oat flour onto a hard, flat surface and turn the dough out onto the surface. Knead with both hands—folding over twice while pressing with both palms then turning 180 degrees—for 5-7 minutes. Do not skimp on the kneading. Set a timer to be sure you hit the 5 minute mark. Feel of the dough:The dough will feel rough and grainy at first but once you hit the 5 minute mark it should start to soften and feel smooth to the touch. The dough should have the texture of Play-Doh and feel slightly springy and stretchy when you’re done. It should be on the verge of being sticky while you knead the dough, so avoid over-flouring your surface. If the dough is cracked and feels dry, knead a bit of milk into it until soft and smooth.
8. Once soft and smooth form into a ball, place in your mixing bowl, and drizzle on about 1-2 teaspoons of oil. Rub oil over the dough. Cover with a towel and place in a non-drafty, warm spot [ideally 75-80 degrees], undisturbed for 45 minutes. The dough will increase in size by about 75%. It will most likely not fully double in size.
9. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a pizza pan or baking sheet in the top oven to preheat.
10. Score the dough into 2 or 3 segments, remove one, cover the bowl with the towel, then knead for about 30 seconds until smooth. When you start to knead the dough may feel a bit crumbly but it will quickly return to its smooth state.
11. Place dough on a large sheet of parchment paper [to fit your pan] and gently roll the dough out between 1/8 - 1/4 inch in thickness.  Be sure the dough is rolled evenly and thinly. The dough should roll easily and hold together very well. If the edges crack, lightly crimp them together with your fingers or slice away with a knife.  But avoid forming a thick edge.
12. Brush the entire surface and edges with a light coating of oil.
13. Place the rolled out dough [with the parchment] onto the hot pan and bake for 14-16 minutes until stiff and golden brown around the edges. Remove the pizza and top as desired. Bake for another few minutes until the cheese is melted and toppings are hot. Remove and let rest for about 3 minutes then slice with a large chopping knife and serve. 
14. Repeat with remaining dough.

Tips + Tricks:

I like to use my oven for proofing the dough. I turn the oven light on about 20 minutes prior to placing it in the oven to lightly warm. I place the towel on top of the bowl and place it in the oven on the bottom rack for 45 minutes. This helps keep a constant warm temperature and avoids any drafts.

Oat, quinoa, and millet flour can all be easily ground at home. You can grind oat flour from raw oat groats, steel cut oats, Scottish oats, or rolled oats. Grind quinoa + millet from their whole-grain, raw form. Place each [separately] in a high powered blender, or other small grinding device [my coffee grinder even works well!]. Grind until soft and flour-like in texture, pulsing if needed to avoid the flour becoming hot and creating moisture. If the flour feels a bit gritty sift through a fine mesh strainer to remove any larger pieces. I like to grind in 1 cup batches. Spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level off with a knife. Store leftover flour in a sealed container in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.

Grilled Polenta | edibleperspective.com

Grilled Polenta + Caprese Salad | edibleperspective.com

Beyond excited that grilling season has finally arrived.

Enjoy!

Ashley

*This post was part of a paid freelance job for Frontier Natural Products Co-op.