Photo credit: www.baking-cookbooks.info

People, let’s talk about bread today.  Specifically, those bits and pieces of bread that no one seems to want to eat, including the heels of loaves, bakery bread that’s a couple days old, or any other bread that’s just languishing in your kitchen because you don’t know what to do with it.  Luckily, I have some ideas for you.

If you have a recipe that calls for breadcrumbs, do you buy them?  No!  Instead, make your own — it’s easy and free!  Almost any kind of bread will do, although I prefer whole wheat or multi-grain bread, since they make a healthier, more flavorful breadcrumb. All you have to do is broil or toast the bread until it’s dried out.  Tear it into smaller pieces and toss it into a food processor or blender.  Chop until it resembles a coarse meal and — Voila! — you have breadcrumbs.  If you have too many breadcrumbs for your recipe, you can freeze them in an airtight container until you need them.

Are you making a salad to go with dinner tonight?  Wouldn’t croutons taste great?  They are super easy to make and so much better than anything you could buy at the store:

• Cut or tear bread into cubes.
• In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup olive oil, minced garlic (to taste), 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (grated), and parsley (to taste).
• Brush the oil mixture on the bread cubes.
• Toast at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.

What about bread pudding?  Click here for savory bread pudding recipes and here for for Bourbon Bread Pudding.

This summer, how about using your leftover french bread to make crostini? Top it with tomatoes and herbs from your garden, such as in this recipe.  I’ve never understood the difference between crostini and bruschetta, but here’s a recipe that I like a  lot.  Because of the beans, this could easily be the main part of your dinner — just add a salad.

As you can see, there are lots of uses for bread that don’t involve  throwing the bread away.  If you don’t need it immediately, you can store it in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the freezer until you do.

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Good Parmigiano-Reggiano is worth the price. Photo credit: nickiold's Flickr photostream

The next time you buy Parmesan, don’t buy the pre-grated stuff in the plastic container.  (Here in my house, we call it “shake cheese.”)  Seriously, put it down and walk away.

Instead, buy a chunk of good Parmigiano-Reggiano. Yes, it costs a little more up front, but you’ll actually save money in the long run, as well as cut back on packaging materials.  (A thin wrapper of plastic wrap versus a heavier plastic container and screw-on lid that cannot be recycled.)

A one-half pound block costs my family around $10, but will easily last us three months or more and we tend to use it with meals at least two or three times a week.  During that same time, we would have spent far more on “shake cheese” which is an inferior product that’s also high in sodium.

Real Parmigiano-Reggiano has a rich, nutty flavor that enhances just about any food you use it on. Grating it with a box grater or microplane grater takes less than a minute and the results are delish.

Store the cheese in an airtight container — NOT wrapped in plastic wrap — and it will stay good for months in the fridge.

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I store my homemade granola in a one-gallon glass jar.

One of my favorite things to eat for breakfast is a bowl of granola mixed with yogurt (low/non-fat vanilla or plain) and fresh fruit.  It’s filling, it’s yummy, and it’s healthy.

Many of the granolas available in stores are high in fat and/or sugar, so you want to avoid those.   There are some healthy granolas out there, but my experience has been that they either taste like cardboard or are expensive.

Luckily, granola is incredibly easy to make.  I make a batch about every two weeks and it takes me about five minutes to whip it up.  Here’s the recipe I use (courtesy of my college roommate):

INGREDIENTS

• six cups flaked or rolled grains (I use plain oatmeal)
• 1 cup nuts (my favorite is sunflower seeds, but I also really like almonds)
• 1 cup wheat germ (I’ve been substituting flax seeds lately and love it)
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg (I often skip this and instead use vanilla extract)
• dash of salt
• 1 cup raisins (dates and other dried fruits are excellent too)
• 1/2 cup canola or safflower oil
• 3/4 cup honey or maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

• Heat oven to 300 F.
• Coat one or two jelly roll pans with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients EXCEPT the raisins.
• Add the oil and the sweetener and mix thoroughly until all the dry ingredients are coated.
• Spread out on the jelly roll pans and bake for around 20-30 minutes.  You want the granola to be lightly toasted but not burned.
• Remove from oven and add raisins.
• Allow to cool slightly and then store the granola in an airtight container.  I find that the granola sticks to the pan if I let it cool all the way, so I scoop it up while it’s still a little warm.

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s incredibly versatile.  In fact, I don’t even look at the recipe anymore and instead just start tossing ingredients into a bowl, depending on what I have on hand.  Best of all, a two-week supply of granola costs around $2-3.

If you don’t feel like making granola, I highly recommend the granola made by Albemarle Baking Company.  It’s absolutely delicious.  (I do have to confess that I have no idea what the nutrition values are or how much fat and sugar this granola has.)  The only reason that I stopped buying it is that my family was going through so much granola that it’s way less expensive if I just make it instead.

Author’s note:  I do not work for Albemarle Baking Company, nor was I asked to mention them in this article.

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One variation of Pasta Primavera. Photo credit: adactio's photostream on Flickr.

One of my favorite meals this time of year is Pasta Primavera, which is most often prepared as vegetables in a cream sauce served over pasta and finished with Parmesan cheese, although there are plenty of other variations possible.

Pasta Primavera is mostly likely not a true Italian dish, as it is commonly believed to have originated at Le Cirque restaurant in New York City in the mid-1970s.   Regardless of its origins, this is an easy meal to prepare and one that takes advantage of spring’s bounty.

Here’s the recipe that I use:

Pasta Primavera (Jen style)

• Put a pot of water on to boil for pasta.
• While the water is heating up, chop whatever spring vegetables you want to use.  I use 3-4 cups of peas, broccoli, carrots, and asparagus.
• Once the water is boiling, if you’re having carrots and/or broccoli, blanch them in the pasta water for about two minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, then add pasta to the water.  I like a spiral pasta, as it holds the sauce well.
• In a skillet, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  Add garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.
• Add the vegetables and saute for a few more minutes.
• Add 1/2 cup of milk or cream and 1/2 water, herbs of your choice (the parsley in my garden is going gangbusters already), and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until the sauce has thickened a bit.
• When your pasta is finished, top it with the vegetables and sauce, as well as some freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

This is a really light meal that helps boost your veggie quota for the day.  My husband has griped that it’s not all that filling, so I’m thinking of adding a little chicken the next time I make it.  My children gripe that all the ingredients touch, but they’re just going to have to get over their pickiness.

Like I said before, there are zillions of ways to make this dish, but I found three healthy recipes at CookingLight.com — one, two, and three.  Later this summer, you could make Pasta Estate — Estate is summer in Italian and is pronounced eh-STAH-tay — and use tomatoes, zucchini, edamame, corn, and basil.

Buon appetito!

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