Panzanella Bread Salad

I first had this Italian peasant style dish at a picnic that Jaime and I attended. I was dubious of it at first because I didn't really care for raw tomatoes at that time but I tried it, and boy was I glad. It's everything that's good about Italian food, all in one simple salad. The hum of garlic, the zing of red wine vinegar, the smooth fruitiness of the extra virgin olive oil, and the herby goodness of basil. Hope you like it!

• One loaf of dense, crusty bread (Italian or French is best)
• 1/2 - 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 - 1 cup red wine vinegar (balsamic vinegar can also be used)
• 1 pint container of cherry or grape tomatoes
• 10 mozzarella cheese sticks (fresh mozzarella can be used if you prefer)
• 1 bunch of basil (10 leaves or so)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Kosher salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper

1. Cube bread into 1 inch pieces. Allow to dry overnight, or dry in a 200° oven for an hour. You want the bread stale and tough, but not rock hard.


2. Cut, or tear, mozzarella into small pieces, less than bite size


3. Halve, or quarter the tomatoes, again you're shooting for smaller than bite size


4. Finely dice garlic


5. Cut basil into a chiffonade (stack the leaves, roll them lengthwise, then finely slice them). You should end up with long, thin, strings of basil.


6. Place bread into a large mixing bowl. You're going to use your hands to mix it up, so give yourself plenty of room


7. Pour 1/2 cup each of oil and vinegar over bread, allow to soak in.


8. Add garlic, basil, tomatoes, and cheese, stir with your hands. Once everything is well coated, start squeezing the bread. The goal is to treat the bread like a sponge so that it sucks up the juice from the tomatoes, as well as the oil and vinegar.


9. Add salt and pepper to taste, allow to sit for a few minutes.


10. Gauge the moisture level of the bread and add more oil and vinegar if need be. The bread should soak up all of the juice, but not be dripping. There should be no juice left in the bottom of the bowl.

A note...this salad can be made ahead but try to avoid refrigerating if possible. It's best served at room temperature

Ramen Noodle Salad

• 3 pkg beef ramen noodles
• 1 pkg broccoli coleslaw
• 3 chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 bottle salad dressing - we've used Italian and Asian Sesame

Break up and cook ramen noodles, drain, mix with 1 seasoning packet. Let cool, then mix with all other ingredients. We like it best after it's been in the fridge a while. We end up adding more salad dressing if it sits in the fridge more than a day, because it soaks it up.

Recently we tried this without cooking the noodles first, and I actually liked it better but Andy did not. He thought they tasted stale. I have a friend who couldn't be bothered to cook her Ramen during college, so would just break them apart in the bag, open it at the top and dump in the seasoning packet, hold closed and shake, and that was her snack. It's actually pretty good!

Southwestern Salad

• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Serve on lettuce with shredded cheese, salsa, ranch dressing, and crumbled tortilla chips.

The mix also tastes good as a chip dip for whatever you have leftover after salads.

Lentil and Orzo Salad

• 1 cup lentils
• 1 cup orzo
• 1 small container crumbled feta cheese
• 3-4 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 1 red pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 cup cucumber, finely diced
• 1 cup chopped fresh herbs (we use parsley and basil)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Prepare lentils and orzo as directed on package, drain and pour into a large bowl. While still hot, stir in remaining ingredients. Add 1/4 cup oil and vinegar to start, taste and decide whether it needs the second 1/4 cup.

Refrigerate and serve cold.