Summer is drawing down, friends – now is not the time to slave away in the kitchen over lunch. Try this Easy Panzanella Salad to make use of garden fresh produce in mere minutes. Eat well, be well! The secret to excellent panzanella is to make sure your veggies are cold and your freshly dressed croutons are warm. As long as you assemble this salad immediately before serving, you really can’t go wrong!
Ingredients (Makes 1 lunch-size salad)
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
4 fresh kale leaves, chopped, center veins removed
1 very ripe heirloom tomato (I like Black Krim tomatoes), sliced
Dash of good seasoned salt (I like Jacobsen Salt Co.’s Steak Season Salt)
2 slices of French bread, diced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Directions
Step 1) Saute chopped kale in 1 teaspoon of olive oil for 3 minutes or until kale is softened. Arrange kale on serving plate.
Step 2) Arrange cold sliced heirloom tomato over kale. Sprinkle with seasoned salt.
Step 3) Toast diced French bread in 1 teaspoon of olive oil for 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Make sure the bottom of the pan is evenly coated with olive oil (use a rubber scraper or a pastry brush) before adding bread. There’s no need to stir; your salad will have interesting texture if one side of the bread cubes are well toasted and the opposite sides are soft!
Step 4) Use a tablespoon (not the vinegar bottle itself) to carefully drizzle balsamic vinegar over the toasted bread cubes. Layer over your salad and serve immediately.
After enjoying, go play outside in the sunshine!
Crowded Earth Kitchen 