Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Not for the faint-of-heart...

 Hello, everyone! The Fresh Pioneer is back and it is still HOT. I'm not really melting anymore, but I sure don't want to cook. I want to eat, mind you, just not cook. So, what's a hungry girl to do?
Let's see what we can rustle up!


Now, when I was 14 I decided I was going to go live in France. Don't ask me why. I think it was mostly about this
 
and this
 
and this
 
But enough of that.
 *sigh*
We live here, and are starving for dinner, so let's see what we can find. Now, since I moved to that lovely country right after I turned 15 (merci, Maman!), I have a deep and abiding love for STINKY CHEESE and usually have some on hand.
Well, looky here! Feta!
Not French, but close enough. And it comes in low fat varieties.
 So, let's make sure it's not date night, or your 25th wedding anniversary, or even a night when your husband might ask you to go sit under the stars and chat.
No? Excellent.
 Let's eat some STINKY CHEESE.
We reach in the cupboard and pull out this bottle of balsamic vinaigrette. Who knows why it was there. It must have been waiting for this exact moment all its life. If you don't care for all the stuff they put in these dressings. you can make your own dressing for this dish with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, and some olive oil.



Now, the original recipe calls for pasta or white bread toasted, or (*sob*) crusty French bread, but we're going to put in a little more fiber to the dish to balance out the olive oil.

Here is some bread my husband refers to as 'nuts and twigs'. It has double the fiber and lots of flax seed which is good for... memory? I honestly can't remember. (Okay, I Googled. It's good for your HEART. Thank goodness. If it was for my memory, I'd want my money back.)

You can use 12 grain or even just whole wheat. It adds a nice, nutty flavor. Toast and cube.


At this point we're going to start cutting our fresh ingredients.

Tomatoes, a little sweet onion (they were free, let's use them!), basil, cucumbers (more free produce!), and whatever other fresh veggie you'd like to put in. Maybe some pretty yellow bell peppers?
 


Mix the feta in with the fresh ingredients. Add several tbs of the vinaigrette. Toss to coat. Put your cubed, toasted, nutty, high fiber grainy bread in the bottom of the bowl and toss on the feta salad mix. 

However you want to make it, add a little lime and some yoghurt to the side and you've got a super fresh, super tasty, no-cook dish.

Just don't go breathe on anybody.
 
(That's me on the left. My non-feta eating hubby on the right. Doesn't he look thrilled? Mmmmm. Revenge for all that cilantro.)

Hope you all are staying cool! Until next time!




20 comments:

  1. Ah, the infamous "bread" salad.

    But I am sitting here thinking, "feta is stinky?"

    I think I am in trouble.

    Peace, Julie

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    Replies
    1. Bread salad?? I'm so sheltered. Here I thought it was so original of the French to put chunks of bread under there instead of pasta!

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  2. hmm that bread actually sounds good! I just recently discovered feta - heck even the fat free is flavorful and it doesn't take much either! at least not for me...and isn't your hubby the one who eats corn fungus?! I think if I could eat that I could eat pretty much anything...

    can't sleep...sigh..

    Susanna

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    Replies
    1. Sorry you can't sleep, Susanna. I hate when that happens.

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    2. Ooooh, I can sleep at a stop light. I'm eternally sleep deprived.

      But every now and then, when something happpens I can't quite handle (whatever it is, large or small), I can't sleep. And then I want to jump off the roof.

      So sorry. :(

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  3. This sounds delicious, Virginia, despite all your warnings. :)

    I do something similar except I toast the bread whole and dump the lot of it on top instead of mixing it in.

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    Replies
    1. if the bread is toasted and on top that would make it croutons instead of bread right? so it would be a salad with croutons instead of bread salad :-) see what waking up at 1 am does to the mind?!
      Susanna

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    2. Yeah, my husband just said, "Why not wrap it in a tortilla??"

      The cubed bread is just... a thought. Top or bottom, whole or cubed, toasted or untoasted, mixed or unmixed or on the side... It's something a bit different than pasta noodles.

      And now I want pasta!

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    3. LOL I meant Mary's would be a salad with croutons since she put hers on top - your bread is on bottom so it's a bread salad! ;-)
      Susanna

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  4. This sounds yummy, Virginia. And I'd even be okay with forgoing the bread. Or maybe have a bit on the side. Whatever the case, I like this.

    Thanks:-)

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    Replies
    1. I actually like to eat this plain, but I have to use a lot less feta because it is pretty strong. But I think a lot more veggies, a little less balsamic dressing, and you can just have a Greek salad.

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    2. Yes! A Greek salad. :) Have to add olives, too.

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  5. This week is expanding my salad palate, and adding to my grocery list.

    I love feta cheese and strong flavors. Forget that wimpy lettuce and ranch dressing. Although, come to think of it, this might be pretty good with a side of chopped Romaine...

    We're facing the hottest day all week, with the forecast highs pushing toward 110 degrees. Nothing like what Isaac is doing down south, but it'll keep me inside all day.

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    Replies
    1. I wrote this about a month ago and it's about 65F now! That's what I get for working ahead. :D

      And I love feta but my sister is a blue cheese/Stilton fan. I love Stilton about twice a year. Usually when I'm drunk, hahahahaha! Kidding, I don't drink. Anyway, every six months I think it will be really tasty on toast.

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    2. I LOVE blue cheese! Well, I should probably admit. I'm a cheese addict.

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  6. LOL on the French originality. It's called Panzanella in Italian (which is the only way I'd heard of it before today).

    Here's a typical recipe.

    http://www.chow.com/recipes/10638-panzanella-tuscan-bread-salad

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  7. Oooooh! Oh my goodness, now I want to make that one!

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  8. I'm so late today!!! I worked ALL DAY on my edits, which are going very smoothly! I got half the book done today! :)

    Virginia, I have a friend that always called this stinky cheese. LOL I use more goat cheese than feta, and one of our good friends (who doesn't like it) always calls it stinky cheese. :)

    I think this would be a great recipe to make! I love feta!! And all the other ingredients, of course. I envy you the French living. Wow, authentic food!!

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  9. Good job, Missy! I think I'm dumping the writing and starting a restaurant. At least I'll eat well!!

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