Combining bread with salad produces a tasty and satisfying dish with minimum effort. (Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune) |
Perhaps you're someone who finds salads a turnoff. They're "diet food," you say. They're "rabbit food." If eaten as a meal, they leave your stomach growling after an hour.
Not so with this tasty recipe. Combining bread with salad produces a satisfying dish that keeps food value high. The grilled crusty bread adds bulk and crunch, so you feel satisfied sooner and eat less overall.
Capers add just the zip to keep your taste buds buzzing long after you're done eating. Capers are the kernel-size dark green buds of the low, prickly caper bush found in Mediterranean countries.
Cooks in Italy, France and Greece add capers to recipes as a flavor enhancer-- and they lend an especially strong flavor after being dried and pickled in salt or salt and vinegar, the way most Americans encounter them. That's why I recommend that you use a small amount of capers and be sure to rinse them before using.
A bonus with grilled bread salad: This is the perfect recipe to incorporate vegetables from your garden or local farmers market. The more color in the veggies, the more vitamins they contain.
Tips: Buy small pickling cucumbers, because they are usually not waxed. Opt for crusty whole wheat bread as a first choice. If whole wheat is unavailable, use a crusty white bread, such as ciabatta.
Grilled bread salad
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 4 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
8 ounces crusty whole wheat baguette, thickly sliced
1 1/2 cups tomato wedges, about 3 medium
½ cup sliced cucumbers
½ red or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh chopped basil (3/4 ounce package)
¼ cup minced red onion
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, drained
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1. Lightly grill bread on both sides until crisp and beginning to show grill marks, about 4 minutes. Tear or cut into 1 inch pieces. (Alternately, cut the bread into 1-inch cubes; bake at 400 degrees, 5-10 minutes.) Place cubes in a large bowl; add tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, basil, onion, thyme and capers.
2. Whisk lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper to taste together in a bowl; whisk in olive oil very slowly until slightly thickened. Toss dressing and salad until evenly mixed.
Nutrition information:
Per serving: 297 calories, 46% of calories from fat, 16 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 34 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 489 mg sodium, 6 g fiber.
Kay Stepkin is a vegetarian cooking class instructor and former owner of a vegetarian restaurant/organic bakery. Email her at foods@tribune.com
Not so with this tasty recipe. Combining bread with salad produces a satisfying dish that keeps food value high. The grilled crusty bread adds bulk and crunch, so you feel satisfied sooner and eat less overall.
Capers add just the zip to keep your taste buds buzzing long after you're done eating. Capers are the kernel-size dark green buds of the low, prickly caper bush found in Mediterranean countries.
Cooks in Italy, France and Greece add capers to recipes as a flavor enhancer-- and they lend an especially strong flavor after being dried and pickled in salt or salt and vinegar, the way most Americans encounter them. That's why I recommend that you use a small amount of capers and be sure to rinse them before using.
A bonus with grilled bread salad: This is the perfect recipe to incorporate vegetables from your garden or local farmers market. The more color in the veggies, the more vitamins they contain.
Tips: Buy small pickling cucumbers, because they are usually not waxed. Opt for crusty whole wheat bread as a first choice. If whole wheat is unavailable, use a crusty white bread, such as ciabatta.
Grilled bread salad
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 4 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
8 ounces crusty whole wheat baguette, thickly sliced
1 1/2 cups tomato wedges, about 3 medium
½ cup sliced cucumbers
½ red or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh chopped basil (3/4 ounce package)
¼ cup minced red onion
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, drained
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1. Lightly grill bread on both sides until crisp and beginning to show grill marks, about 4 minutes. Tear or cut into 1 inch pieces. (Alternately, cut the bread into 1-inch cubes; bake at 400 degrees, 5-10 minutes.) Place cubes in a large bowl; add tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, basil, onion, thyme and capers.
2. Whisk lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper to taste together in a bowl; whisk in olive oil very slowly until slightly thickened. Toss dressing and salad until evenly mixed.
Nutrition information:
Per serving: 297 calories, 46% of calories from fat, 16 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 34 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 489 mg sodium, 6 g fiber.
Kay Stepkin is a vegetarian cooking class instructor and former owner of a vegetarian restaurant/organic bakery. Email her at foods@tribune.com
