Garlic & Parmesan Whole Wheat Croutons – Healthy Alternative to Store-Bought

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

• Time: 30 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy
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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

1. Combine garlic, spices and oil in a small saucepan.
2. Simmer the mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl and toss with oil mixture.
4. Spread bread cubes on a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Preheat oven to 350°.
6. Bake cubes for 8 minutes.
7. Remove cubes from oven, stir and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
8. Return to oven and bake for 7 minutes more, until golden.
9. Remove from oven and sprinkle with additional salt if desired.
10. 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.

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Pulled Pork & Black Bean Mexican Soup

Up until a few years ago I had never known the joy of eating pulled pork. I’m not really sure even why I thought about making it, or what sparked my interest in this not too popular in our region food, but whatever it was, I caught pulled pork fever, and bad. (If you’d like to know how I make my “Melt-in-your-Mouth” version, click HERE).

Creamy Sausage & Tortellini Soup

“I think this my new favorite soup!”

That is what Hubby said to me when I served this new take on my sausage and tortellini soup.

Originally this soup had a tomato base, but Grace didn’t like it so I set to work on an alternative. Hubby and Zeb like my original version, but I not only wanted to make a soup everyone would enjoy, but I really wanted a new recipe to add to my arsenal of soup recipes. So, when I came across a recipe for a creamy tortellini soup, I knew with a few tweaks and the addition of some sausage, I’d have a soup hearty enough for a meal that we would all eat.

Deluxe Italian Wedding Soup

Several months ago I was surfing the net looking at recipes, one of my weaknesses, and came across a recipe for Italian wedding soup. This was one soup I’d never had and therefore never attempted to make, but once I read the ingredients I knew it was one the family would love.

Unfortunately, as happens with many/most of the recipes I print off the internet, the recipe for Italian wedding soup got stashed in a pile of recipes that I wanted to try no less than seven inches thick. Yep, that baby was buried and buried good.

Fortunately, well sort of, a month after I printed off the recipe, Hubby and I were invited to a wedding and guess what soup they served? You got it! Italian wedding soup. I say “sort of” because before we were served I got all excited and told Hubby that I had a recipe for this soup that I wanted to try. Well, we each took one bite and that was it. The waiter hadn’t even served everyone at our table and we asked him to remove our uneaten bowls of soup. It was awful.

Once the soup was removed, Hubby turned to me and whispered in my ear, “If that’s what Italian wedding soup is supposed to taste like, don’t bother making it.”

I was disappointed, but definitely not discouraged. If there’s anything I know, there isn’t a recipe out there that can’t be made better, or at least in this case, edible. So yesterday was the day I decided to take a shot at making what appeared to be a fairly easy soup, but with a few definite changes.

First, I’m not a huge fan of spinach in a soup. It’s okay, but my family prefers kale. This worked out perfect for me, because although it is the middle of winter here in Michigan, we’ve only had a few snow falls and the kale out in the garden is so hearty, that it’s still thriving. Nothing like fresh kale from the garden to make any soup better.

Second, the recipe I’d found called for kidney beans. Unfortunately, I’d used the last of my home canned kidney beans in chili a week ago. In my opinion though, kidney beans seemed a bit too much for this soup. I’m not really sure if you know what I mean by “too much” but kidney beans tend to be a heavier bean. I substituted great northern beans, which are lighter and smaller. I think this bean was subtle, but definitely held its own along the acini di pepe and meats.

Third, and most important, I added shredded chicken to the soup. Although traditional wedding soup does not include this, the chicken really made it pop. Having it shredded made the addition subtle and not overbearing. It blended in nicely with the remaining ingredients.

Deluxe Italian Wedding Soup

• 1 Egg
• 3 Tbsp. Italian Bread Crumbs
• 1 Tbsp. plus 1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Salt, divided
• 1/8 tsp. plus 1/4 tsp. Pepper, divided
• 1/2 pound lean Ground Beef
• 1/4 Cup uncooked Acini Di Pepe Pasta
• 1 medium Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 8 Cups Chicken Broth
• 1 Pint Great Northern Beans
• 1 Extra Large Cooked Chicken Breast, shredded
• 4 Cups Fresh Kale, chopped

1. In a large bowl, combine egg, bread crumbs, 1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, onion powder, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Add ground beef and mix until well combined. Shape into 1/2 inch meatballs. Place meatballs in a 13 x 9 pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Drain meatballs on paper towel and set aside.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
3. In a stock pot, saute onion and celery in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in broth, beans and kale. Bring to a low boil. Stir in pasta, shredded chicken, meatballs, and remaining salt and pepper.
4. Cover and continue to cook at a low boil for 1 hour. Garnish with remaining Parmesan cheese.

This version of Italian wedding soup received a rave review from the entire family. Hubby told me he never would have thought it was the same soup we’d been served at the wedding some months ago and told me it was definitely “company worthy.” That’s what I was shooting for, and for this I am — Simply Grateful.

• Servings: 8 Servings
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Ingredients

• 1 Egg
• 3 Tbsp. Italian Bread Crumbs
• 1 Tbsp. plus 1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Salt, divided
• 1/8 tsp. plus 1/4 tsp. Pepper, divided
• 1/2 pound lean Ground Beef
• 1/4 Cup uncooked Acini Di Pepe Pasta
• 1 medium Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 8 Cups Chicken Broth
• 1 Pint Great Northern Beans
• 1 Extra Large Cooked Chicken Breast, shredded
• 4 Cups Fresh Kale, chopped

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine egg, bread crumbs, 1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, onion powder, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Add ground beef and mix until well combined. Shape into 1/2 inch meatballs. Place meatballs in a 13 x 9 pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Drain meatballs on paper towel and set aside.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
3. In a stock pot, saute onion and celery in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in broth, beans and kale. Bring to a low boil. Stir in pasta, shredded chicken, meatballs, and remaining salt and pepper.
4. Cover and continue to cook at a low boil for 1 hour. Garnish with remaining Parmesan cheese.