Autumn Salad with Cornbread Croutons

Ingredients:

for the croutons:
a few slices day-old cornbread (I used this country ham cornbread), cut into bite-sized cubes
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

for the salad:

1/3 cup toasted walnut pieces*
3 small-medium roasted beets, chopped
1 cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced into quarter moons
1 large Stayman-Winesap apple, thinly sliced
3 oz crumbled blue cheese
10 oz baby arugula
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss the cubed cornbread with the olive oil. Arrange on the prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes, stirring once, or until crisp. Allow to cool briefly.

Meanwhile, toss together the salad ingredients. Divide onto two plates and top with cooled croutons.

*I heated them in a dry skillet for about 1 minute

My thoughts:
I am not a huge green salad fan. I always find them a bit boring, honestly. They really have to be loaded up with a lot of strong, contrasting flavors and textures to keep my interest. This salad fits the bill on all accounts. Peppery arugula, slightly sweet, crunchy cornbread croutons, crisp Stayman-Winesap apples, creamy blue cheese, crunchy celery, warm walnuts, and earthy beets. It’s a whole, actually satisfying, very autumnal salad. I think I get bonus points for picking the apples myself and making my own cornbread that I then made into croutons. 

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