Scalloped Tomatoes and Croutons

Gooooooooooooooooooood golly Miss Molly, Dizzy Miss Lizzy, Maybelline, Lucille, Michelle ma belle, Dear Prudence, Alejandro and every other song title there is with a name. This recipe is hella good.

Like,... really, really good. It gets the Superman seal of approval. Superbland has always seemed like kind of a meathead to me. I honestly wouldn't touch him with yours, but, not the point.

I found this recipe on the amazing site Smitten Kitchen. Of course, I've vegan-ized it, which wasn't difficult, even for me and my remaining 6 brain cells.

Scalloped Tomatoes and Croutons

adapted from original

3 1/2 cups whole wheat baguette

3 tbsp olive oil

2 1/2 pounds of plum tomato

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp Light agave (or 2 tbsp vegan sugar)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut thin

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Lots of sugars use "bone char" made from the bones of cows, to bleach their grains' color to white, but with some research, there are a bunch of sugars that don't use it. Agave to me is easier, the word "research" already making me tired, but whatever. I know Domino sugar does use bone char and Pillsbury doesn't.

-First, preheat oven to 350. Now chop up the baguette into little cubes. A baguette works greeeaaaat for this if you get one with a really crunchy crust. It plays well against the cooked softness of the tomatoes.

-Dice the plum tomatoes really small. Plum tomatoes are perfect for cutting because they have way fewer seeds than other kinds of tomatoes. And seeds are little bitches. 

-After you dice all the tomatoes (I almost cut myself 90 times because there were so many of them and I'm a flake, and I started spacing out, thinking of the new BBC show called Sherlock, which owns so hard) throw them in a large bowl with the salt, the agave/sugar, pepper, garlic and mix it up.

-Next, toss the bread cubes into a large pan with 3 tbsp olive oil. We already talked about lipid peroxidation and polyunsaturated fatty acids (we're so cool!), so we know why I cook olive oil on medium heat. Cook for about 5 mins until the bread is crunchy. Holla.

-OH MY GOD I am watching the show Air Jaws II. Firstly, I'm really upset with myself that I didn't even know there was an Air Jaws I. AIR Jaws? Enough said. Secondly, these sharks are like the Sean Connerys of the ocean. Awesome.

-Next: After about 5 mins of the bread cooking, throw the tomato mixture into the pan as well, and let that cook for another five minutes. Mix well and often.

-After 5 mins, remove the pan from the stove and stir in the basil leaves.

-Now, put everything in a shallow baking pan, and throw into the oven for 35 mins. Don't ACTUALLY throw it. Also, sprinkle the 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar over the top.

Then be like Air Jaws II and eat.