Try a grilled salad with substance

If you want a salad for dinner, you don't want some fussy tossed melange of sprouts, baby this and frilly that. You want a salad with substance, that isn't afraid of bold flavors. And maybe even a touch of fire.

This recipe for grilled panzanella (Italian bread and tomato salad) with chili corn is a warm salad prepared mostly on the grill. That quick touch of heat brings out bold, sweet flavors in the ingredients.

To make this salad truly a meal, it includes grilled chicken. To make a vegetarian version, the meat could be left out, or replaced with grilled mushrooms, cubes of tofu or chunks of polenta.

GRILLED PANZANELLA WITH CHILI CORN AND CHICKEN

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

1 pound chicken breast tenders

Juice of 1 lemon

Olive oil

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 pint cherry tomatoes

2 medium red onions

2 ears corn, husked

18-inch baguette, cut into 1⁄2 inch slices

Chili powder

Garlic powder

2 large fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Balsamic vinegar

Parmesan cheese, for shaving

Heat a grill to high.

In a bowl, combine the chicken tenders with the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1⁄2 tablespoon salt and black pepper, to taste. Toss to coat, then set aside.

Divide the tomatoes between 4 skewers. Once the tomatoes are on the skewers, spritz them with cooking spray, then set aside.

Trim the ends from each onion, then cut each crosswise into 2 thick slices. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.

Cut each ear of corn into 2 pieces, then rub each piece with olive oil. Set the corn on a large plate, then arrange the bread slices around them. Drizzle the bread with olive oil, then sprinkle the corn and bread with chili powder and garlic powder.

To cook, place the onions on the grill, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Use a spatula to carefully turn the onions, then add the tomato skewers and corn. Grill until everything is lightly browned, turning as needed, about another 4 minutes.

Transfer the vegetables to a plate, then add the bread and chicken to the grill. Cook for about 4 minutes, turning after 2 minutes, or until the bread is nicely toasted and the chicken is cooked through.

To assemble the salads, cut the chicken into bite-size chunks. Divide the chicken and bread rounds between 4 large serving plates. Add a slice of grilled onion and a piece of corn to each. Alternatively, the kernels can be cut from the cobs and added.

Top each salad with 1 skewer of tomatoes. Drizzle everything with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then shave a bit of Parmesan cheese over each and top with fresh basil.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 593 calories; 206 calories from fat; 23 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 53 mg cholesterol; 72 g carbohydrate; 26 g protein; 7 g fiber; 1,263 mg sodium.