November 1, 2018

Cornbread Croutons: How to uplift your big salad

Cornbread Croutons: How to uplift your big salad – or – your chili – or – your soup! These babies add so much flavor and so much crunch, they make whatever they grace better.

I’m a Big Salad aficionado. In order to make salads that the whole family will eat, though, I’ve had to get a little creative – and crunch that doesn’t come from veggies is a winner.

You can buy pre-made cornbread, which always seems like a waste, because it’s a “quick bread”. All that means is that all the ingredients are dumped in a bowl and mixed together before baking in a loaf pan or a cast iron skillet (affiliate link) or mini muffin tins (affiliate link).

I’m remarkably fond of the recipe on the corn meal canister.

It works every time. You know what else works almost every time? Jiffy Mix. You buy a box for $.65, add an egg and some liquid (it calls for milk) and cook it in an 8″ square pan. If you aren’t in a hurry like I was, it comes out of said pan without problem.

Or you try to rush the cooling process and you get ^^^^^.

Don’t be like me. Wait for the cornbread to cool.

It still tastes great. And I was able to cut enough squares that we had plenty for the croutons.

Add the oil of your choice (I used vegetable oil – olive oil is a little heavy) and salt and pepper, copiously. I use red pepper, and I use a lot.

That’s what makes my Cornbread Croutons the bomb.

Spread them out on the pan to leave enough room between them so they get crisp.

Add the crumbs too – they’re super tasty and REALLY crunchy.

Put them in to cook but keep an eye on them – the sugar will burn fast.

Take them out and put them on a backing rack (affiliate link) if you have one – it will keep them crispy while they cool.

A note about salads: I like to add 6 ingredients, max, plus lettuce and dressing to my big salad. Any more and the ingredients all vie for attention. This salad has the croutons, Pops Crispy Chicken, shredded mozzarella, sliced red peppers, green onions, and pepperoncini’s, and it was fab.

I used Honey Mustard Dressing and tossed it all together in this fabulous wooden salad bowl (affiliate link).

If you don’t have a wooden salad bowl, ask for one for Christmas or Your Birthday.

We use ours for everything – salad, obvi, but popcorn, chips, rolls at Thanksgiving, even as a candy holder for Halloween. It’s so pretty I leave it on the kitchen table when we aren’t using it. And it’s WOOD, so it won’t break if we use it on the patio. Bonus.

Crispy Chicken Salad with Cheddar Cheese Dressing uses these croutons as well. So good.