Candied Bacon Panzanella Salads with Rye Bread Croutons

If you can’t tell by now, we are totally feeling the panzanella lately! Last week, it was the salmon panzanella, this week, BLT’s! These are kicked up a notch with candied bacon and I used rye bread for the croutons. Let me tell you. That rye bread is killer in this salad!

Candied bacon is simple to make – just a bit of brown sugar and some maple syrup. I used Bushwick Kitchen’s Spicy Maple for this batch – so good! If you follow on Instagram, you know how hard I stan for Bushwick Kitchen. Scroll towards the bottom of the post for all my favorite BK.

Basil Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

I hope you’re all ready for a lot of recipes with basil and lemon. You should see the list of recipes I have coming! Lots of fresh herbs, especially basil. This vinaigrette has been on repeat here, from salads to sandwiches to drizzling over roasted veg. We’ve even used it as a marinade for chicken.

And you can’t go wrong having a few vinaigrette recipes in your back pocket!

Oven Roasted Salmon Panzanella Salad

Anytime I make a Panzanella salad I always wonder why I don’t make them more. This salad was no exception – the salmon came out perfectly and it was a fun weeknight dinner. I’ve been trying to make our weeknight dinners more interesting during quarantine and this one is definitely one we’ll be having again soon.

The salmon was so simple to roast – just a bit of butter, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and fresh basil. It was ridiculously delicious!

Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing Recipe

I’ve always loved a light vinaigrette, especially one that’s a little creamy. And I’ve finally cracked the code – dijon mustard is the secret to this vinaigrette!

Everyone needs a good dressing recipe in their back pocket, and I swear I could put this on everything – from salad to fish to meat to veggies. I’ve made this twice this week already and it’s only Wednesday!

 

Creamy Vinaigrette Recipe

Yield: Appx 1/4 c. | Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large garlic clove, zested (or minced if you don’t own a zester)

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

3 tbsp dijon mustard (the smooth kind, not grainy)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and shake it like a polaroid picture!

You can adjust the ingredients to your liking. If you want a thinner consistency, add water 1/2 tsp at a time.