Italian Bread Salad

 This is a salad my family loves and you can add spices as you like! This is such an easy meal to make and if you like, you can add lentils or beans or even some meat but in the summer we like this for a cool and easy lunch. Technically you could use any thick sliced bread or even bread croutons if they're the large size but I prefer the original recipe.

You will want a very good quality Olive Oil for this recipe, and make sure your vegetables and herbs are as fresh as possible.

• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh thyme
• (mix the above well and set aside)
• For the Salad:
• 1/2 loaf of day-old Italian bread, cut into cubes
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped cucumber
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 2 cups chopped fresh basil

Mix everything together and serve!