Panzanella Salad

Panzanella Salad

I composed most of this post over a month ago when the summer was still in full force and therefore tomatoes were at their peak. Life got busy, time passed and finally I'm getting around to sharing this beauty.
One of my go to meals each summer is the versatile Panzanella, or Tuscan Bread Salad. If you're a breadaholic, like me, it's a wonderful summer comfort food. I'll never forget the first time I made it, I enjoyed it so much that I have the time, place and company etched in my food memory bank (a fun place to visit!).

The basic premise of cubes of stale bread, a good olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing, tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh basil, can be taken in many directions. I usually add white beans and chunks of Parmesan which makes it just delicious. I have substituted zucchini, green beans, edamame, peas and also added leftover chicken or pork. Some bacon would be nice although surprisingly I haven't tried that yet.

Traditionally the bread used is stale, not toasted. It's a great 'make ahead' meal; it really needs to sit together in your refrigerator for a couple of hours to give adequate time to marry the flavors and for the bread to soak the yummy dressing.

Summer may be over but we are still harvesting cucumbers from our teeny tiny vegetable patch and the tomatoes are holding their own in our local farm store. So, if you're like me and desperately holding on to the last remnants of summer, make yourself a panzanella salad.

Panzanella Salad

adapted from an Everday Food Recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 cans cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)

3 cups of cubed stale crusty bread (preferably wholewheat)

1 lb plum tomatoes (or whatever variety you have), cut into bitesize pieces

1 English cucumber, chopped into bitesize pieces, skin on

1/4 medium red onion, very thinly sliced

4 oz Parmesan cheese, cut roughly into small chunks

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Using a large bowl, mix the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
2. Add the beans, bread, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and cheese
3. Toss together gently to ensure all ingredients are coated with the dressing
4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours an up to 8 hours.
5. Add the basil just before serving

A couple of notes on the recipe:

• This is a great leftover "user upper"; add whatever is lurking in your fridge (within reason!) See below for photos of my leftover panzanella.
• We have not been growing english cucumbers, so I roughly peel the kirbys, deseed them and chop.
• This is very tasty as a side with fish or on it's own as a vegetarian dinner.

Enjoy!





Mango Coconut Ice Cream

Mango Coconut Ice Cream

Apologies it's taken me so long to post this recipe. It's a winner and while most of you may no longer be craving ice cream, I'm sure there are some like me, who always do. There is never a time I would refuse ice cream; two pregnancies have only intensified my deep love for any type of ice cream.

The recipe is super easy; it's from Cooking Light Magazine, June 2011. Basically you make a smoothie then put it in your ice cream maker. Done! And the best bit; it's really pretty healthy but has a creamy consistency thanks to the coconut milk. It also keeps well, without icing up, the way many home made ice creams seem to. My kids both love this ice cream so it's a good all round family pleaser.

Try it out quickly before the snow comes!

Mango Coconut Ice Cream

Ingredients

2 cups cubed and peeled ripe mango

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 (13.5oz) can light coconut milk

Directions

1. Place the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth
2. The pour the "smoothie" mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze following the instructions on your ice cream maker.
3. Spoon the ice cream into a freezable container and freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Rice Comfort Casserole



I'm always in search of a new idea for leftovers either meat or vegetables. My staple turns for leftovers are frittatas, enchiladas and pizza toppings, but I needed something new. I had leftover chicken and was craving rice, so googled the 2 for inspiration. Taking a lead from this recipe, here is the result.

I have to admit that much as I love love love the summer here, I do welcome the cooler weather; now I can turn on my stove again without cooking myself at the same time. So the prospect of brown rice needing 45 minutes on the stove, was happily an option, this morning, when I got a jump start on dinner.

This is a simple take on a casserole, but from from scratch. The sauce created is very reminiscent of a Campbell's soup casserole, but oh so much tastier and better for you. It checks off all the boxes for nutrition and throws in some major comfort too.

My oldest daughter has just started full day Kindergarten and in contrast to her usual hearty appetite, is often so tired by dinner that she has lost interest in food. So, tonight I prescribed comfort food, in the hope of getting a decent meal in her tired little body, before bed. It worked! I asked her if she liked her dinner and she answered, "Love it!". Score for Mummy!! Unfortunately my 3 year old was not so convinced; I'll keep working on her!

Chicken and Rice Comfort Casserole

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup low fat milk
1 cup chicken or veg broth ( preferably low sodium)
2-3 cups cooked chicken (chopped)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage (or herb of your choice)
2-3 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (thawed)
1/4 cup wholegrain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400
2. Melt butter in a pan over a medium heat
3. Add the flour and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring.
4. Pour in the liquid and whisk over the heat until smooth and thickened.
5. Add the chicken and sage
6. Taste and season as necessary
7. Lightly butter or oil a medium sized shallow casserole dish
8. Place the rice on the bottom of the dish and sprinkle over the peas
9. Pour the chicken in the sauce over the top and spread evenly
10. Mix together the breadcrumbs and Parmesan and sprinkle on top of the casserole
11. Place in the oven for approx 30 minutes and serve with a salad, or not...

Notes on the recipe:
This is an endlessly tweekable recipe; adding more cheese to the sauce would be tasty. Also, many different herbs could replace the sage; thyme would be particularly good. Broccoli or green beans would be good replacements for the peas.

Enjoy!