Greek Panzanella

We are big fans of Greek-inspired food.  This salad was delicious!  If you're needing something to accompany the salad, go for some chicken strips laced on skewers and marinated in this delicious dressing before grilling.  It'd be a total winner dinner in my book!

6 cups bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (day old is best)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 of a red onion, thinly sliced (my kids don't love raw onion, so I left this out, but would have preferred it for myself)

1/2 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced

8 ounces feta, cubed

2-3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 large cucumber, chopped

Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons lemon juice

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425F

Spread the bread cubes onto a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil and salt.  Toss, then toast for about 10 minutes or until browned.

In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. Serve slightly warm and the bread will still be very crisp  or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend and the bread cubes will be a little softer.  Any longer the bread starts to get soggy.  (You can always prepare and even combine everything except the bread ahead of time and just add that when you're ready to serve.)

adapted from recipe found here