Dandelion Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Feta and Rye Croutons

honestcooking.com
serves 2-4
The peppery, slightly bitter dandelion goes lovely with the sweet tomatoes and the salty feta cheese. I’ve used sherry vinegar, but you could easily use normal balsamic vinegar instead. I made the croutons using rye bread and added some flavor with dried herbs. This is a perfect summer salad!
Ingredients
Salad

• A bunch of fresh dandelion leaves, washed
• Green, yellow and red heirloom tomatoes, sliced
• Greek style low-fat feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 slice of rye bread, toasted and cut into cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Pinch of dried or fresh thyme
• Pinch of dried or fresh rosemary

Sherry Vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin lemon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
• tiny pinch of sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

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Preparation1. Assemble the leaves, tomatoes and feta on a big platter.
2. To prepare the croutons, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan, add the herbs and heat for a minute, add the croutons and cook for a few minutes tossing the pan so they won’t burn. Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
3. Whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients together and drizzle over the salad. Season the salad with black pepper and sprinkle with the croutons.