Bread Salads

Don't call panettone fruitcake: The fruit-studded Italian dessert bread is also a hallmark of the Christmas season, but it's much fluffier and less cloying than its dense and ridiculed American counterpart. Panettone is wonderful alone or with butter, but it can also be incorporated into a weeknight meal. This creative recipe calls for the eggy, voluptuous bread in lieu of sourdough in a late-Fall panzanella. This bread salad's packed with nutrient-dense butternut squash, spinach, and apple cider.

To add a holiday touch to a healthy meal, read more.

Ditch the carb-free diet philosophy and sample a Mediterranean diet-friendly salad instead. This Italian bread salad, or panzanella, showcases just-right Summer tomatoes, flavored simply with basil, red onion, and garlic. Arugula adds a slight spiciness, as well as potassium and folate.

Adding healthy fats to tomatoes brings out the antioxidants lycopene and beta carotene, so this light olive oil dressing makes the tomatoes even healthier. Try using a multigrain country bread, too. To get the recipe, read more