Greek Panzanella

It was 90 degrees here today and very sunny. Perfect weather in my opinion! After teaching pilates this am I went on a nice walk/run late this afternoon. Unfortunately Tucher could only handle about 20 minutes of the walk before he was really hot so I brought him back to house and then went back out to soak up the nice heat. We are grilling salmon on cedar planks tonight and lounging on our back patio.... can you tell I love summer time?

Anyways, I made this delicious Greek Panzanella. It is hard to quit eating and perfect for summer time grill outs. Light and refreshing definitely describes this dish.

Greek Panzanella

Adapted From Ina Garten

Salad:

2 tbs olive oil

6 cups French bread cubes (cut in 1 inch cubes)

salt

1 cucumber - peeled, seeded, and sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced in chunks

1 yellow bell pepper, diced in chunks

1 pint cherry tomatoes (either left whole or cut in half)

1/2 red onion, sliced thin (I hate raw onions so I left this out)

4 oz crumbed feta cheese

2 oz kalamata olives or black olives, sliced

Vinaigrette:

2 cloves garlic, minced finely

1 1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

To prepare the salad, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread crumbs and sprinkle with salt. Cook over medium to low heat, frequently tossing for 5-9 minutes. Cook until browned. Remove from the heat.

Combine the cucumber, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onion (if using)

Make the vinaigrette by combining the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil until well emulsified. Pour the vinaigrette over the veggies. Then add the feta, olives, and bread cubes. Mix together lightly. Set aside to allow the flavors to blend and then enjoy