Say goodbye to summer with a panzanella salad

As the season changes and our gardens begin to hibernate we’re left with a plethora of tomatoes, in various degrees of ripeness, sizes and colors. This is a great way to use the tomatoes you haven’t canned, or roasted and it as a lovely way to say goodbye to the summer and hello to the fall. Get creative, use the bread, vegetables, lettuces and beans you have on-hand to create your salad. Have fun and be bold!

Panzanella Salad

Serves 2 (as a main) - 6 (as a side)

Ingredients:

3 cups Tomatoes (cut into big bite sizes)

2 “Everything” Bagels*, toasted and cut into cubes

5 Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and roughly chopped

1/2 cup of spinach, washed

1/2 cup of fresh green beans (or Chinese long-beans), washed and cut into 3/4 inch pieces

1/4 cup of white beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large serving bowl add the tomatoes, sea salt, fresh pepper, and olive oil then set aside.

2. Let the tomatoes sit in the olive oil for a good 10 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.

3. Toast the “Everything” bagels until crispy, then cut into big bite sized croutons, set aside.

4. Add the white and garbanzo beans to the tomatoes and stir them, allow this mixture to sit another 5 minutes.

5. Add the fresh green beans to the serving bowl and stir.

6. Add the roughly chopped romaine and spinach to the serving bowl and lightly toss together all ingredients.

7. Drizzle the aged balsamic vinegar over the ingredients in the serving bowl and lightly toss.

8. Lastly, add the “everything” bagel croutons, toss lightly and adjust sea salt and fresh pepper to taste.

9. Serve your favorite protein dish, or soup for a lovely fall meal.

NOTE: *For those of us who are gluten free, Trader Joe’s has GF “Everything” bagels that work very well in this salad. The longer you toast the bagel the crispier the “croutons” will be.

Tina Galhaut has been cooking, baking and living gluten-free these past four years, testing many recipes on her teenage son, Logan, until they are as good or better than the original. As wife, mother and co-owner of Z Bistro in North Carson, Tina and her chef husband Gilles offer many gluten-free selections on their menu. Contact Tina by email at atzbistro@gmail.com.