CEiMB - Panzanella with Chicken Sausage

When you are in a food blogging group, one of the biggest rewards for the member is when your turn comes around to host the group.  Guess whose turn it was this week?  Not Jennifer Aniston, not Ina Garten, not Giada or Paula Deen. Okay, if you guessed me, you are correct!

Ellie Krieger has so many wonderful recipes that are all healthy choices and that makes it difficult to choose just one.  With summer here, and vegetables plentiful in most areas of the country, farmer's markets here and there, I wanted to choose a recipe where we could incorporate the fresh goodness of those vegetables.  Ellie's Panzanella does just that.  Panzanella is simply bread and tomato salad.  It is simple and relaxing to make.  Pair it with a glass of wine and it becomes elegant as well.

I hope everyone that cooked along with me this week enjoyed this light fare as much as Chandler and I did.  He had his doubts because he is strictly a meat and potatoes guy, but he ate two helpings of this for dinner.  He even asked if we could save the leftovers for dinner for the next night!  That was a huge compliment to me.

I found some really beautiful vine ripened tomatoes at Publix.  The cucumber came from my very own backyard garden.  Here is a photo of ONE of my cucumbers that got caught in the fence, but this is not the cucumber I used in my panzanella!  Isn't it funny looking?

I peel my cucumbers.  Some people do not and that is okay.  I just think the peel is a tiny bit bitter tasting.  I do not peel my tomatoes, though some do.  While I do not care for recipes with cooked basil in them, the fresh basil is so wonderful.  The red onion was sweet and just brought all the flavors together.  The chicken sausage was really delicious.  I cooked it on the grill, but had a hard time getting any grill marks to show on it!

For all of you who cooked with me this week - thank you so much!  It is a joy to cook with you and I look forward to seeing your versions of this great summer dish.

Per Serving: Calories 520; Total Fat 25 G; Sat Fats 5 G; Mono Fat 8 G; Poly Fat 3 G; Protein 36 G; Carb 39 G; Fiber 10 G; Cholesterol 110 Mg; Sodium 540 Mg
Excellent Source of Fiber, Folate, Manganese, Potassium, Protein, Selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K
Good Source of Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Niacin, Phosphorus, Thiamin, Vitamin B6

Panzanella with Chicken Sausage

8 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges (about 1-1/2 pounds)
1 small English cucumber, cut into half moons
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small whole-grain baguette or other crusty bread (preferably day-old;
about 8 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1/3 cup basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 12-ounce package Italian-style pre-cooked chicken sausage

In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the bread chunks and basil and toss well so all the bread is well moistened.
Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
Add the sausage and cook, turning once or twice, until warmed through and grill marks are formed, about 8 minutes. Serve the sausage, whole, alongside the panzanella.

Did You Know?
Chicken and turkey sausage contain 1/3 the calories and 1/3 the fat of regular pork sausage.