Recipe - Croutons

Who doesn't love crunchy, flavorful bread cubes in their salads and bowls?!

A few days I posted a chickpea salad recipe, you may have noticed the croutons in the photo. I love making my own croutons because they're easy and they make your salad even more interesting. Very often, store-bought croutons include whey or cheese and a ton of preservatives, so why not just make your own?

Croutons

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French or Italian bread - I like one I find in the bakery section of my grocery store. The ingredients are water, wheat, yeast, salt, and sesame seeds

• 1-2 TB olive oil

• Seasonings to taste - salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, basil, oregano, parsley

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Tear the bread into bite sized pieces and place in a bowl big enough to shake them around

3. Drizzle the oil over the bread and shake them up

4. Add spices to taste, toss again

5. Pour evenly onto the baking sheets

6. Bake for 10 minutes or so until crunchy

I love keeping these on hand for salads and bowls but they're also great as a garnish for a blended soup (think tomato)

What's a simple thing you make that really adds to the meals you eat? Let me know in the comments (as always, plant-based foods only)