This is a simple, delicious, and satisfying salad that you can change a billion different ways. It would be awesome with spinach, different herbs such as rosemary or tarragon in the vinaigrette, and whatever veggies look great in the store that day.
It keeps well too if you store all of the ingredients separately. I like to make the croutons ahead of time, and store them in an airtight container. I also store all of the veggies separately from the greens, and the salad dressing in a separate container as well. You can assemble everything when you are ready so that the croutons don’t get soggy! I used Atwater’s struan bread for the croutons again, (same bread I used from this weeks Mushroom and Fontina Toasts) and it was delicious. Feel free to use any bread here. A hearty Italian would work well also.
Serves 4-6, depending on the size of the salads
Prep time: 15 min.
Cook time: 20 min.
4 c. bread, cubed into 3/4 in. chunks
2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 c. diced English cucumber (this is the long seedless variety)
3/4 c. celery
3/4 c. diced yellow bell peppers
1/2 c. cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4-5 c. baby kale (spinach or mixed greens work here as well)
For the dressing:
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 T. sherry vinegar
2 tsp. fresh thyme
2 T. fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. olive oil
Begin by making the croutons. Preheat oven to 400℉. Toss bread cubes in 2 T. olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, tossing occasionally, until cubes are golden brown and crunchy. Set aside and let cool.
Make the dressing. Combine zest and juice of lemon, sherry vinegar, thyme, parsley and salt and pepper into a bowl. Slowly stream in olive oil, whisking to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Combine vegetables for salad. Put diced cucumber, celery, bell pepper, tomatoes, and chickpeas in a medium bowl, tossing to combine. To assemble salads, put a handful of kale in a bowl, top with veggies, and bread cubes, and spoon over a couple tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Toss to combine, and serve! Garnish with more chopped parsley if desired.
This is an awesome salad to take to work. Just put the croutons in a plastic baggie, the veggies and kale in a container, and the dressing in a separate small container. Then, combine everything when you are ready. Very healthy and satisfying because of the bread and chickpeas!
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