Panzanella with Summer Vegetables

Last Friday night we had this panzanella salad with b-b-q pork steaks (a very St. Louis thing).  Lynn I got the salad recipe from that Midwest Living booklet you gave me. Very yummy!!!

Panzanella with Summer Vegetables

 

4 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2” pieces

2 slices crusty country Italian bread, about 1” thick

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large tomatoes, cut into 1” chunks

1 small cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and sliced ½” thick

½ cup roasted red sweet peppers, cut into bite size pieces

½ small red onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved

¼ cup torn fresh basil leaves

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon style mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper

 

Blanch green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes. Immediately put in ice water to stop cooking. Drain and set aside.

Brush bread slices with olive oil and toast on grill or under broiler until golden brown. Cut into 1” pieces.

In a large bowl, combine beans, bread, tomatoes, cucumber, sweet peppers, red onion, olives and basil.

For dressing: In a small screw-top jar, combine the ¼ cup olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and shake well. Pour over tomato mixture, tossing gently to mix well.  Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

When ready to serve, toss well again.

 

*This salad was even good the next day. For a "milder" taste, you can omit the olives and peppers.

 

175 cal. 13g fat, 13 g carb. 2 g. fiber. 2 g protein.

Recipe courtesy of Midwest Living