1/2baguette or whole wheat bread of choice, should be quite hearty and have a crunchy crust!, cut into 1’’ cubes
1/4cupchampagne vinegar, I’ve also done rice vinegar when I didn’t have champagne on hand and it worked well; you just need to add a bit more olive oil as the rice vinegar is a bit stronger in acidity than champagne vinegar
1/4cupto 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, high quality if possible **see note below on ratios!
1teaspoonminced garlic
1/2teaspoondijon mustard
1/2teaspoonsea salt
big pinch black pepper
2-3small heirloom tomatoes of any color, the more color the better, diced into 1’’ cubes (remove seeds to not become too watery)
1large cucumber, diced into 1’’ cubes
2-3bell peppers of different colors, preferably red, yellow, or orange, diced into 1’’ cubes
1/2red onion, sliced thinly
large handful of basil leaves, chopped lightly
Instructions
Place a large pan over medium heat and coat bottom of pan with olive oil (about 1 tablespoon). When hot, add in bread cubes and saute until lightly toasted and browned. I think you could try grilling this as well, but I haven’t tried that out (yet!).
Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Mix champagne vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, mustard, sea salt, and pepper in a blender until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
Place all the vegetables and toasted bread in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss throughly and serve. I found it best to serve immediately so the bread stays nice and crispy.
Notes
**I personally like my dressings on the more acidic/vinegary side of the spectrum (a 1:1 ratio). When making this for guests, I often will add more olive oil than I do more myself (a 2:1 ratio). I recommend dipping a piece of bread or a veggie in the dressing to taste test before dressing the whole salad.