“There’s an Italian expression, il pane e oro (bread is gold), that inspires me to never, ever throw out bread,” says Claire Tansey, whose latest book is Dinner, Uncomplicated: Fixing a Delicious Meal Every Night of the Week. Instead, I often turn it into crunchy croutons that turned out to be the gateway to loving salad for my school-aged son.
To make this Kale Caesar With Garlic Croutons, Claire infuses a mixture of butter and oil with garlic before crisping up the bread cubes. The oil prevents the butter from burning, and the butter makes everything taste like heaven. Try to get the cubes all about the same size so they cook in the same amount of time. Feel free to use whatever crunchy, interesting toppings you like best for this salad. Serves 4.
Ingredients for Garlic Croutons
1 tablespoon butter
1tablespoon canola oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 to 3 slices of your favourite Oroweat Organic bread, cut into cubes
To make the croutons, heat the butter and oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-low. Add the garlic cloves and cook very gently until the garlic is just slightly brown. Remove and discard the garlic, then add the bread and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on both sides, 2 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and reserve.
Ingredients for Salad
8 cups torn kale leaves (ribs removed)
1 avocado, pitted and cubed
3 to 4 radishes, thinly sliced
½ cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
½ cup roasted chickpeas
¼ cup pepitas
¼ cup toasted walnut halves
To make the salad, place the kale leaves in a large salad bowl. Add your favourite store-bought or make your own Creamy Ceasar Salad Dressing and toss very well to coat every leaf. Top with avocado, radishes, edamame, chickpeas, pepitas and walnuts and toss again.
Feel free to use whatever crunchy, interesting toppings you like best when your dress your salad. You can also use Creamy Ceasar Salad Dressing as a dip for raw veggies or smear it on toasted bread for an open-faced chicken Caesar sandwich.
Every day we make choices in our lives that affect the environment, our climate and the world around us, so now more than ever, it’s time to adopt a few new habits. For more fun & easy ways to live sustainably, check out these planet-friendly activities.
The Harrowsmith Countdown to Earth Day is brought to you in partnership with Oroweat Organic bread. Learn more about Oroweat Organic and how they are helping the earth by clicking here.
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