Big Salad with Corn Bread Croutons and Buttermilk Dressing
I’ve been on a bit of a corn bread kick lately. Meaning I’ve made two in the past week. The first was to go with black bean soup, and I forgot a key ingredient. It was OK, but not stellar. I figured I could resurrect it as croutons – which worked just fine. Just cube, toss in a bit of oil and bake, and you have croutons with far more character than those made out of plain old white bread.
Check me out, not panicking over the fact that I have maybe a thousand (probably not) friends I haven’t met yet coming over tomorrow. Those of you who are among the potluck attendees, be warned: there are bikes and boots and jackets and reusable shopping bags and a shelf of surplus cookbooks in the front foyer. I have not washed the walls (properly) in eons because at this point it’s easier to just paint the house. The hundred year old house is self-dusting – that is, it produces bunnies and rhinos in all corners (Lou helps) at all times, even right behind me when (if) I do dust. The back yard has turned into a mud bog from all this rain, on patches of lawn that now have no grass – a permanent result of Lou and W potty training at the same time. We cleared out our garage a few weeks ago, and the community clean-up is next week, and meanwhile we have an old fridge and enough other (now soggy) assorted junk waiting in the back yard to possibly qualify us as hoarders. (Are you really a hoarder if you’re trying to get rid of stuff, though?) And yes, there is only one bathroom.
I was on traffic on the early show this morning, and dragged myself through the afternoon. My 13 year old niece wanted to come sit on the counter and talk about boys tonight, and so she did, and she wanted to make cilantro dip – something she had tried at the farmers’ market on a school trip today – but we couldn’t figure out the recipe. So we made chocolate chip cookies, and did something with some of the dough that I’ll tell you about tomorrow, after our creations have set.
For dinner we nibbled and ate salad. I’m not bothering with measurements here, except perhaps in the dressing. Because really, it’s just a salad. I think it would do very well with a ripe avocado, and perhaps topped with a skewer of grilled shrimp.
Green Salad with Corn Bread Croutons
influenced by The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook, by way of Smitten Kitchen
corn bread, cut into big cubes
canola or olive oil
ripe tomatoes
roughly torn fresh lettuce, such as Bibb, butter or Boston
bitter greens, such as arugula
a bit of purple onion or sweet onion, finely chopped or sliced
buttermilk-lime dressing (below)Preheat oven to 350°F. Scatter the corn bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with oil and bake for about 10 minutes, until the pieces are pale golden.
Assemble the salad, and drizzle with dressing just before serving.
Buttermilk-Lime Dressing
3/4 cup buttermilk, or half milk, half plain yogurt
juice of a lime (2-3 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup torn fresh basil
1/4 cup torn fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 green onions or a small chunk of purple onion, chopped
salt to tasteBlitz everything in the food processor or blender until well combined.
May 27 2011 10:37 pm | salads
Merry120 on 27 May 2011 at 10:42 pm #
Yum! I make cornbread quite often being the good Southern girl that I am so this will be a great new way to use the leftovers.
Trinh on 27 May 2011 at 10:57 pm #
What cornbread recipe do you use? It’s not sweet is it?
Vivian on 28 May 2011 at 12:35 am #
Hey Julie,
Here it is 12:30 Friday night or a half hour into your big potluck Saturday. Wish I could pop over and see that you live just like most of us…that you are “real”. I figure people should get together to be with one another not to compare dustpiles. Enjoy friends and good food and to heck with minor details and the folks who are obsessed with them. Hope Saturday potluck is super and that you will duly report on the gathering.
Red Foodie on 28 May 2011 at 3:06 am #
i like salad and this is so yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
Theresa on 28 May 2011 at 8:55 am #
Enjoy today Julie!
I wish I could be there, but it’s the annual SPCA garage sale too. Oh to be in two places at once. HUGS!
Rachael on 28 May 2011 at 9:44 am #
Julie,
This salad looks great!
To everyone attending the BBQ have a great time!!
I wish I could drop in as well, but I know it will be fun no matter what.
Enjoy!!
Erin on 28 May 2011 at 10:43 am #
Just keep in mind that everyone who’s coming has a house somewhere with all the same things that they think look terrible, but nobody else notices, too.
I’m really looking forward to meeting you Julie! I’ve never done anything like this and am a bit nervous to go to a stranger’s house with a bunch of other strangers. But I know it will be fun!!
Also–yummy salad!! My husband’s favourite quick dinner is “Big Salad”, as we call it, so I’ll have to give your dressing a whirl next time.
Anyway, gotta go make some hummus for this afternoon! See ya then!
Tracy on 28 May 2011 at 11:15 am #
As someone once put on a kitschy sign once said ‘Excuse the mess, we live here’! Salad sounds so yummy, going to try it.
shira on 28 May 2011 at 12:40 pm #
Jealous of those who get to attend the potluck…Life in Canada has so many perks!
jacquie on 28 May 2011 at 2:52 pm #
but where is the corn bread recipe? and waht did you leave out that important and yet the corn bread was still good?
Natalie (ga) on 28 May 2011 at 3:06 pm #
I SO wish I could be there. NO ONE will care about the things you mentioned. They love you!
I thought you may end up talking about how you know Julie or how you came upon her blog. So, I decided I would join that supposed conversation.
I was at Christmas holiday at my parent’s house in Minnesota. My mom had “Grazing”. As I read it I thought – this really sounds yummy. So, I stole the cookbook from my mom. I loved everything. A friend was wondering if I had a “healthy cookie.” I went online to see if I could find Julie’s breakfast bean cookie recipe. Looking for that recipe brought me to her blog!! Now, her year of “dinner with Julie” was almost over. “Oh NO, but I just discovered you!” I was happy to have her continue to share her life and creations with us.
Have fun!
Natalie
Jacqui on 28 May 2011 at 3:15 pm #
…”oh boy,oh boy,oh boy!”…(Doug from “Up”)
I hope the Potluck went well-can’t wait to see the pictures!!!!!
JulieVR on 29 May 2011 at 7:26 am #
The potluck went great! Can’t wait to upload all those pictures!!
JulieVR on 29 May 2011 at 7:27 am #
Jacquie – you can use any corn bread recipe! I left the butter out completely – it wasn’t great on its own, but was just fine when turned into croutons!
bev on 29 May 2011 at 4:53 pm #
I am a total believer in NEVER dusting! Once I have retired I am coming to a Julie Van Rosendale potluck!!