Left-over Bread Salad

Use the freshest and crispiest vegetables for this salad.

Bread salad, otherwise known as Panzanella Salad, is well-known in the Mediterranean area.  Left-over bread is cubed and sautéed in olive oil, then tossed with vegetables and vinaigrette.  This can be served as a side salad or by itself.  As a full meal, you can add your choice of protein such as cheese or meat.  My version is quite simple, however, note the suggested optional ingredients listed if you would like to expand this. 

serves  4 - 6                                          Prep time:  20 minutes

Several cups French or sourdough bread cubes
Olive oil
8 or more large leaves Romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
2 large tomatoes, cut into large cubes
1 large cucumber, thickly sliced or cut into cubes
1 large red pepper, cut into squares
1/4 - 1/2 red onion, chopped
several large basil leaves, torn into smaller pieces
Vinaigrette to moisten salad (I use 2 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, salt and pepper)
Optional additions:
1 cup protein, such as chicken, tofu, or ham, shredded or cubed
1/2 cup eggplant, cooked and cubed
1/4 cup crumbled Feta
1/4 cup Nicoise olives
Chopped parsley

Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute bread cubes until golden.  I use just enough oil to make the bread cubes crispy and not greasy.  Set aside.

Prepare the vegetables and place in a large bowl.  Add the bread cubes. 

Toss with vinaigrette to moisten and serve.

One-quarter serving of the above salad offers over 6 grams fiber, almost 14 grams protein, close to your daily requirement for vitamin C, about half the daily requirement for iron, thiamine, selenium, and manganese, and 450 calories.  Although the salad is about 30% fat, it is mostly monounsaturated (10 g)and polyunsaturated (2-3 g) which is good. 

- Kim Fielding

Guaco Garbanzo Salad

Have you ever ordered a chicken quesadilla with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa?  This is like that only without the cheese, tortillas, sour cream, and chicken.  My favorite part about a quesadilla has always been the condiments.

One of the great things about blogging food is that we meet really great people along the way who introduce us to even more foodies, and they are interested in even more different things than we ever conceived.  This recipe is the product of those associations.

We are blessed with an abundant garden.  For this salad we used kales, tomatoes, and basil from our plot.   A can of garbanzos, a couple of avocados, and lemons, completed the required ingredients for this recipe.  The inspiration for this is from http://www.glutenfreecat.com.  Check out the website if you are gluten-sensitive. 

Prep time:  15 minutes

Serves: 4 as a main dish, 6-8 as a side dish

2 tablespoons minced scallions or red onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 lemon, juiced

pinch of salt

handful of fresh basil or cilantro

2 avocados

1 stalk celery, minced

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

many handfuls of greens, your choice

1 cucumber, cut using a peeler or sliced into matchsticks

1 large carrot, cut using a peeler or sliced into matchsticks

several tomatoes, bite-size pieces

vinaigrette dressing or balsamic vinegar

In a blender or processor, mix together onion, garlic, lemon, salt, and 1/2 handful herb of choice.  Add one whole avocado and mix until almost smooth.

Finely chop the second avocado and add it to a bowl along with the ingredients from the blender.  Add in celery and garbanzos and gently stir to combine.

On a platter or wide bowl, place greens, cucumber, carrot, and tomatoes.  Drizzle with vinaigrette or just with balsamic vinegar as the original recipe suggests.

Our greens consisted of fresh lacinto kale, cucumber, and carrots

I like to use a mix of tomatoes and here we have cherry, grape, and roma tomatoes.

Top with avocado-garbanzo mixture and sprinkle with more herbs if desired.

Dive in!

Each serving, assuming four per recipe, offers less than 350 calories, 12 grams fiber (!), almost 9 g protein, your full compliment of most vitamins, and several minerals.  Potassium in this recipe reaches to 85% of your daily allowance.  Zinc and vitamin E are close behind.  Wow. 

- Kim Fielding

Cool Salmon for a Hot Day



This dinner is very low in calories with a side roll and fruit salad.  We
like this when the weather is hot and don't feel that hungry.  Start
 by poaching your salmon filet earlier in the day and keep it chilled in the refrigerator.

Yesterday boasted 100+ degree weather here in the Bay Area.  My family needed a supper that wouldn't heat up the kitchen and was cool to eat.

A shredded vegetable salad tossed with lime vinaigrette and topped with poached salmon seemed like a good idea.  The salmon was cooked early in the day and kept chilled.  Served with fresh fruit and a whole grain roll, this was super simple and refreshing.

Serves:  1 

Place a 3 or 4 ounce salmon filet in a medium-sized skillet and add enough water to cover.  Simmer for about 7 minutes or until cooked through.  Don't overcook if you can help it or it may dry out.

The vegetable salad was comprised of what was in the refrigerator.  Using a vegetable peeler, I shredded a small peeled cucumber and a carrot and added it to a bowl.  A thinly sliced whole baby Bok choy was next.  Finally a handful of chopped parsley.   This was tossed with 1/2 of a large lime squeezed, a tablespoon or so of canola oil, and sea salt and pepper to taste.  Extra lime was sliced and served with the salmon.

Calories for 3 ounces of poached salmon, the shredded salad, a cup of chopped fruit (watermelon, canary melon, and pineapple), and a whole grain roll comes to about 440.  Vitamin C and B12 requirements are met for the day and a quarter of your potassium needs are met.  This meal is also high in selenium which is good for your eyes, as well as Vitamin A. 

Experiment with veggies you like and are in season, add a little protein, and voila(!) you have the start of a healthy meal.  Have fun!

- Kim Fielding