Crunchy Bread Salad with Summery Vegetables and Herbs

Sometimes you want to serve the family a crunchy, satisfying salad that is a change from the traditional lettuce based variety yet still packs a powerful serve of veggie goodness.

This Salad is a great way to avoid waste by using up stale bread and it will soak up whatever flavour combination you choose to use.  The essential steps combine day-old bread chunks with lots of chopped vegetables, enlivened with seasonal fresh herbs and topped with the option of warmed sliced leftover roasts.  The crunch of the golden bread cubes makes a fast, economical meal - especially handy for end-of-summer weekends!

Preparation
Probably about 10 - 15 minutes to chop the veg, slice the meat if you are using leftovers and then just heat and stir.

Ingredients

This is a very flexible recipe - this is the outline and you complete your salad with your favourite vegetables and herbs.

Day-old multigrain or sourdough bread - torn into bitesize chunks.  (allow the equivalent of 1 large 'piece of toast' size per person on average)   TIPS AND HINTS:  I like to freeze any leftover bread pieces to have on hand for these types of recipes

Good quality Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Red onion - finely sliced
Clove garlic - crushed
some baby spinach leaves
A little shredded crunchy lettuce
shredded  bitesize -  (eg)  celery, carrot, zucchini, radish
Ripe red tomatoes - diced
fresh herbs - (roughly torn)  basil, parsley, mint, thyme  etc

Option: Shredded Leftover roasted meat (eg  lamb, chicken)

A spoonful of good quality pesto  OR  spiced chutney - depending on your salad flavours
Salt and Pepper to taste
Option: A splash of Balsamic Vinegar

Method
Heat a little olive oil gently in a wide frypan.
Add the onions and garlic and heat just to slightly wilt and take away the 'raw onion' taste
Remove and place into a large bowl.
Add the remaining chopped vegetables and herbs to the bowl.
If using roasted meat, gently warm in the pan. Remove.
Add a little more olive oil to the pan and increase heat.
Toss the bread chunks and heat until golden and crunchy.
Add to the bowl of prepared salad and stir through with preferred pesto.
Taste and season if required.
If required, add a splash of Balsamic Vinegar or an extra drizzle of Olive Oil.
Serve in individual bowls.
                                      Enjoy!    Colleen