Maple Curried Pecans, sweet Oregon pears, and curried croutons make this arugula salad one of my favorites.

There is a link to my Maple Curried Pecans for that recipe. For the croutons, I cubed 2 cups of some fresh italian bread and pan fried it on medium high in 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 TB Vietnamese Sweet Lemon Curry, 1/2 TB garlic powder, and 1/2 TB onion powder from Savory Spice Shop. After a few minutes, lower the heat to medium and stir somewhat frequently so they don’t burn. They should be done if 15 minutes or so, depending on how crunchy you like them.

For a dressing, I whisked a little maple syrup, walnut oil, and cider vinegar for a simple and sweet balance to the bitter arugula. Enjoy.

Slice the bread in small cubes, or chunks. Throw it all in a dry, hot pan, and sauté them for a couple minutes with no oil. Then drizzle on some olive oil, 1/3 cup or so, add chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and stir. Cook them this way until they start to dry out, 30 minutes or so. Add more seasoning, like basil, onion powder, garlic powder, rosemary… whatever you like. Serve immediately. Don’t save these for more than a few days. No preservatives means no shelf life!