To honor Celiac Disease Awareness Month, Dare Foods invited us to sample and experiment with their gluten-free; cracker varieties;– Breton Gluten Free Original with Flax and Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic. Not that I’m a gluten-free cracker connoisseur by any means, but I did find these varieties to be light, buttery in taste, and crisp in texture.
Last week, Elizabeth and I gave a rockin’ presentation on branding and social media to a group of dietitians and afterwards we celebrated with local brews and eats for lunch at Armsby Abbey. The food was delicious – of course, we shared plates so that we could try a little bit of everything that struck our fancy – homemade hummus, roasted veggie focaccia, chipotle sweet potato soup, and fennel salad.
The fennel salad was topped off with the perfect crunch – some toasted breadcrumbs. I’m usually not one to jump on the crouton bandwagon so these toasted breadcrumbs were a welcome substitute for that desired little crunch. And cue the a-ha moment. Immediate inspiration for my recipe using Breton’s Gluten Free Original with Flax crackers. I knew I wanted to toast these babies to create the ultimate salad topper.
Arugula & Caramelized Fennel Salad with Toasted Breadcrumbs
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- Yield: Serves four
Ingredients
for the salad:
- 1 bulb fennel, halved and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/8tsp sea salt
- 1/8tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 16 Breton Gluten Free Original with Flax crackers (1/2 sleeve)
- 1 bunch arugula (roughly 4 cups)
- 1/4c shaved pecorino romano
- fennel fronds, for garnish
for the dressing:
- Juice of one lemon (2 tbsp)
- 1/4c extra virgin olive oil
- 1/8tsp of sea salt
- 1/8tsp of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss fennel with 1 tbsp oil, salt, and pepper, and place onto baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until fennel is caramelized. Let fennel cool to room temperature.
- Add the Breton Gluten Free Original with Flax crackers to a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs are formed (yield: roughly 3/4 cup crumbs). Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add crumbs and stir frequently until crumbs are golden brown and crispy, about 5-7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add arugula, fennel, and cheese to a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to combine. Before serving, top with breadcrumbs and fennel fronds for garnish.
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For more gluten free menu ideas check out the recipes below:
Click on the link below for more gluten-free culinary inspiration using Breton’s gluten-free crackers.
This looks so good, a little bit of crunch in a salad always makes it better!
Kara, what a fabulous idea! I love the looks of the little crunchy crumbs all over a salad. Definitely going to try this with the garlic crackers since I ate all the flax ones right up in my fudge recipe!
i had no idea you could make “bread crumbs” from crackers. genius. This salad is the bombdotcom
Gotta give credit to watching way too many episodes of Chopped for that genius idea 🙂
Okay, first, that image of you pouring the dressing is amazing.
This sounds so good! I always find I want a little crunch (aka a little starch…and sometimes cheese) in my veggies!
Thanks lady! What was more amazing was me trying to finagle that shot with my two hands. Wish someone could have been there to document my awkwardness and lack of coordination :). Somehow pulled it off!
sounds delicious… man, i love me some roasted fennel and parm/romano too. all great flavors…
Thanks, Gretchen! Shaved parm/romano on salad gets me every time.