Garden Salad with Fried Okra Croutons

Ingredients:

Fried Okra Croutons

• 3 cups okra, cut into 1 cm pieces
• Sour milk for breading
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Wheat flour for breading
• Vegetable oil for frying

Garden salad

• 3 cups baby spinach
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
• Cherry tomatoes halved
• Sliced ​​red bell pepper
• Sliced ​​yellow bell pepper
• Vidalia onion (sweet onion), thinly sliced ​​into half rings

Balsamic vinegar dressing

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 crushed cloves of garlic
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. For fried okra: Place the okra pieces in a medium bowl. Pour in enough sour milk to completely cover the vegetables and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a separate bowl.
   
   Drain the okra and place it in a bowl with flour. Stir until each piece of okra is coated with flour. Shake off any excess flour. Fry at 180°C until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
2. For filling: In a small bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, mustard, lemon zest, garlic, and juice. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
   
   For the salad: In a large salad bowl, combine spinach, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, bell pepper, and onion. Toss with the dressing and top with fried okra croutons.