Eat Together, Make Life Delicious...

For those looking for something light to eat this garden salad is delightful. I love making my own homemade croutons, so if you have the time, I suggest you give it a try.

Garden salads are best when they are assembled at the last minute. This keeps the lettuce from becoming too wet and wilted from the vinaigrette. To enhance this salad even further, try different herbs, such as thyme, rosemary and cilantro. In this recipe, I also instruct you to make a lot more garden vinaigrette than you’ll surely use. Just save the leftover in the frig for the next two weeks and drizzle it on everything!

Garden Salad with Parmesan Crispy Croutons
Makes 4 Servings

For the parmesan crispy croutons:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 bagel, thinly sliced-lengthwise using a mandoline
Optional: favorite fresh chopped herbs

For the Garden vinaigrette:
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

For the Salad:
4 generous handfuls of mixed baby greens, pre-washed
2 large carrots, peeled and julienned (cut into fat toothpicks)
3 radishes, washed, stem ends removed and thinly sliced
2 medium dead ripe tomatoes, washed, cored, and quartered

Prepare the croutons. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the olive oil, pepper, salt, and parmesan cheese in a small glass bowl. Place four sliced bagels on a Silpat-lined or non-stick sheet pan and brush them generously with the olive oil mixture. Sprinkle them with the optional fresh herbs. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the bagel slices from the oven and let them cool.

Meanwhile prepare the vinaigrette. In a large metal bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and parsley. Whisk together until well combined and the vinaigrette emulsifies. Set it aside to steep.

Prepare the salad. In the large bowl, toss in the mixed baby greens, carrots, radishes, and tomatoes. When the croutons are done cooking, evenly divide up the salad among four plates and dress it with the vinaigrette. Place the croutons on top and serve immediately.

Labels: garden salad, healthy, parmesan Crispy Croutons