Tomato, Avocado, and Bread Salad

This is an easy dish to throw together at the last minute when company comes over. It’s also a great way to use the leftovers in your fridge. Need to get rid of the bread that will turn stale soon? Try this!! I’ts simple, delicious, and easy. A real crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh bread cut into small cubes

1 avocado diced

2 medium heirloom tomatoes diced

5 spears Asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces

1 shallot minced

1 clove garlic minced

1 lemon

½ cup olive oil

Directions

– Dice heirloom tomatoes and set aside in serving bowl

– Cut fresh bread of your choice ( a wholegrain bread gives an earthiness to this dish) into small bit- size cubes.

– Lightly dress bread with ¼ cup olive oil, and mix so olive oil covers all sides of the bread.

– Lay cubes of bread out on baking sheet in one layer.

– Broil bread in oven for 3-4 minutes. Be very careful! The bread will burn quickly under the broiler so keep an eye on it.

– Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in sauté pan, and add minced shallot and garlic to sauté pan when oil becomes hot.

– After 2 minutes of shallots sautéing, add asparagus and zest of one lemon and sauté until shallots become translucent and asparagus lightly browns, another 3-4 minutes.

– Once translucent, turn off heat, add juice of one lemon, the rest of the reserved olive oil and mix.

– Add toasted bread and shallot vinaigrette to tomatoes, and mix thoroughly.

– Cut the avocado in half and remove pit. With the skin still on, score a checker mark pattern of about ¼ inch cubes into each half.

– Invert the skin, so you push out the fruit of the avocado (the cubes should pop right out). If they need a little help, scoop them out with a spoon, and you have nicely diced cubes without the mess.

– Add the avocado to the rest of the dish, and lightly

mix so as not to mash the avocado

– Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve right away while bread it still slightly crunchy.