Panzanella

I was craving a crisp and zesty salad last night and panzanella was the answer! The recipe reminds me of summer and can be thrown together in minutes. I think tomatoes are a must in this salad, but you can substitute in other veggies like bell peppers, artichokes, grilled zucchini, olives, pepperoncinis, Italian meats, cheeses, etc. Also, a store bought Italian or balsamic dressing would work well too!

We ate this salad on its' own last night, but it would accompany grilled chicken breasts or fish or burgers perfectly.

Panzanella

Salad:

2 1/2 cups of french baguette, cut into 1 inch cubes 

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup of cucumber, cut into cubes

1/4 cup yellow onion, small chop

4 basil leafs, torn

4 tablespoons of feta, chopped or crumbled

Vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons EVOO

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon agave/honey

salt, pepper, and thyme to taste

Directions:

If you have stale bread, please chop that into 1 inch cubes.

If you bought a fresh baguette please pre-heat oven to 400 degrees, then chop the bread into one inch cubes and toast in the oven for 5 minutes or until crisp. The bread needs to be dried out to ensure it doesn't become soggy in the salad.

Chop cucumbers into cubes, small dice the onion, chop cherry tomatoes in half or you can use whole tomatoes and chop in medium size pieces, and tear basil by hand.

Place the vegetables, bread, and feta into a salad bowl.

Stir the vinaigrette ingredients together and pour over the salad, stir until completely covered. Let sit for 10 minutes and then taste. If the salad tastes a little dry, please add more vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

Jamie