After my “broken heart” heart attack, I changed my diet. I cut out a lot of things, but one constant at nearly every meal was salad. Because of this, I really needed to find different things to add to the leafy greens.
One afternoon while perusing the isles at Wal-Mart for different options, I came across croutons. Stopping to read the ingredient lists, I was appalled to find that every crouton option was filled with processed carbs and ingredients I couldn’t even pronounce. Plus, there wasn’t one whole wheat option.
When I hit the bakery section of the store, I found a rack full of freshly baked bread. Among the loaves of bread I found loaves of whole wheat French bread and get this…it was only $1.00. How could I not buy it and make my own croutons. I mean, how hard could it be.
I came home, cubed the bread, and made the following recipe. They were wonderful. They were so good in fact that Hubby ate half the bag as a snack. He really wasn’t interested in using them in a salad, but as a snack they were perfect. He did leave me enough to enjoy in my salads the next day, then it was off to Wal-Mart for another loaf. These don’t last long in our house.
Garlic & Parmesan Whole Wheat Croutons
Ingredients
- 1 Loaf Whole Wheat French or Italian Bread, cut into ½” – ¾” cubes
- 2 tsp. Minced Garlic
- 1 tsp. Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp. Dried Basil
- 1 tsp. Dried Thyme
- ¾ tsp. Salt
- ½ tsp. Pepper
- ½ Cup Olive Oil
- ¼ Cup Finely Grated Fresh Parmesan
Directions
- Combine garlic, spices and oil in a small saucepan.
- Simmer the mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Place the bread cubes in a large bowl and toss with oil mixture.
- Spread bread cubes on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Bake cubes for 8 minutes.
- Remove cubes from oven, stir and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Return to oven and bake for 7 minutes more, until golden.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with additional salt if desired.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
Cooking Note
These are great tossed with a salad, added to soup, or eaten straight from the container as a snack.
Recipe by: Tilly Frueh – Simply Grateful Cooking 2019
A new way of life came out of my heart attack experience, and with that comes a whole lot of new recipes. I’m sure that this recipe is just as good with white French bread, but the whole wheat version is perfect for me, and for this I am — Simply Grateful.
Simply Grateful Cooking 