Cornbread Salad

Well hello, my pretty.  Salad defies the salad-haters yet again!  This is a Southern twist on panzanella, using sweet and devilishly tasty cornbread cubes instead of ciabatta bread, and a tangy buttermilk dressing instead of a vinaigrette.  Yum and yum.

I haven't included a cornbread recipe below, because I figure you probably already have your favorite.  But in case you don't, this is the one I used, and it was fantastic.  It's probably best if you use day-old (or more) cornbread, so you don't feel too guilty about toasting it and putting it in a salad.  But do what you have to do.

The dressing for this salad is like no other dressing you've had, I promise.  It's zippy and zingy and zany and...zeal-inducing?  It's just so good.   And the salad's surprisingly filling, so feel free to make it your main course.

Cornbread Salad

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups of 1-inch cornbread cubes

1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups roughly chopped romaine lettuce

1 cup baby arugula

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk*

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon finely minced flat-leaf parsley

1 scallion, finely minced

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat toaster oven to 250.  Scatter cornbread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 7 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

2.  Place the lettuce, arugula, and tomatoes in a large bowl.  Toss with the dressing that you make in step 3.

3.  Combine buttermilk, lime, oil, honey, parsley, scallion, salt and pepper in a salad dressing shaker or jar and shake vigorously to combine.  (Or whisk thoroughly in a small bowl).  Pour desired quantity over the salad and toss.  (You probably won't use it all).  Add cornbread cubes and toss.  Serve immediately.

* If you don't have buttermilk and don't feel like buying it, combine 2 tablespoons plain lowfat yogurt with 2 tablespoons milk.

Enjoy!