Crouton Salad

A salad is not a meal.. It is a style... "Fran Lebowitz"

A well made salad is the easiest way to impress anybody with your culinary skills.. As summers have set in early here, I dont feel like spending most of my time in the kitchen.. So im trying to whip up different kinds of salads which can serve as a healthy meal and also save my time in the kitchen.. So here's a salad made using croutons which makes it a filling meal..

Crouton is derived from a French word "croute",  which means crust..These are basically toasted / baked / pan fried pieces of bread.. Generally, the bread used here is a day ol bread, which gives a better crust and crispiness than a fresh bread.. So, if you have any stale bread left, it can be used to make these croutons, which can be used in countless ways.. Garnish your soup with these croutons, pep them up with some cheese and seasonings and serve as a snack or turn them into a salad.. It is sure to make you keep munching on these more and more..

Ingredients:

4 slices brown bread

1 small onion chopped

1 tomato deseeded and chopped

1/2 capsicum chopped

1/2 cucumber chopped

1/4 cup purple cabbage chopped

For dressing:

3tbsp olive oil

1tbsp mustard paste

1.5tbsp balsamic vinegar

1tsp powdered sugar

Salt to taste

1/2tsp black pepper powder

Method - Mix all ingredients of dressing and whisk well until well incorporated.. Keep aside for the flavors to blend for 15-20 minutes.. Meanwhile remove the crust of bread and chop into medium size croutons.. Spread on a baking sheet and bake in a pre - heated oven at 180c for around 5 - 7 minutes (turning the croutons once mid way)  till it becomes crunchy and color changes to golden brown..  In a bowl add all the chopped veggies and pour the dressing.. Mix well to coat all the veggies.. Just before serving add the croutons and mix with light hands.. Garnish with parsley or olives or mixed herbs and serve..

Note - You can add veggies as per your choice and taste..

Add croutons to salad just before serving, otherwise it tends to get soggy..

You can substitute balsamic vinegar with regular vinegar / apple cider vinegar / lemon juice