Grecian Berry Summer Salad with Cornbread Croutons

Salad, fruit, and cold food in general are my go-to meals during the summer because sometimes grilled chicken is just too hot for those scorching temperatures. This salad combines some of my favorite food: kale, berries, and CORNBREAD! That’s right, cornbread.

I recently took an impromptu trip to Charleston, SC with my bestie, Sam. We ate dinner at the well-known Magnolia’s and started with their Caesar salad complete with cornbread croutons. They were the best croutons I’ve ever had, and I’ve tried to replicate them ever since. This was my third and best attempt at making these croutons, so I decided to blog it with my tried and true method.  I hope you get the same results too!

Now, I also have another method for cooking with or just eating raw kale. And that’s to massage it with some olive oil beforehand. Massaging olive oil into kale removes the bitterness of the green to allow for other flavors in the meal to excel and also softens it’s rough exterior for easier chewing. Even Dr. Mendoza, my old dentist-boss who loathes kale, enjoyed it only when it was massaged.

That being said, I massaged this kale and added Greek dressing to the salad as well. The olive oil doesn’t affect the taste much, but it does add to the experience of eating kale as a whole, especially since many people dislike kale for its bitterness. One extra tip too: buy your fresh kale while it’s still on the vein and not in a bag. It’s usually fresher and typically less bitter for some reason. Maybe the kale is from different regions… I don’t know. Don’t ask me. I just tell ya what I taste. Like this super easy and yummy fresh salad recipe!!

Ingredients:

1. 2 c raw kale
2. 1 T Greek vinaigrette
3. 1/2 c mixture of blueberries and blackberries
4. 2 t olive oil
5. 1/2 box of Jiffy’s corn bread mix
6. 1 egg
7. 1/3 c milk
8. 1/2 T ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Follow instructions on box to make cornbread mix
2. Spray oil into a baking dish
3. Pour corn bread mix into the baking dish, creating a short layer of mix
4. Bake in oven until cornbread is golden
5. Let cornbread cool
6. De-vein kale and cut into medium-sized pieces
7. Massage 1 T olive oil into raw kale thoroughly
8. Refrigerate kale for 10-60 minutes to let olive oil soak in
9. While refrigerating the kale, use a bread knife to cut the cornbread into small cubes
10. Add corn bread cube to a mixing bowl and add remaining olive oil to the bowl
11. Also add ground pepper and toss until all of the cubes are lightly coated with olive oil and pepper
12. Broil the corn bread until crispy- watch them carefully as they burn quickly!
13. Let croutons cool a little
14. Wash and dry berries
15. Add berries to kale
16. Add croutons to kale
17. Top with Greek vinaigrette
18. Enjoy!