Why does it always feel like summer flies by? This summer was a busy one, we graduated college, started new jobs, and moved into a new apartment. It feels like everything just happened in the blink of an eye and we didn’t even get a moment to enjoy the nice weather. We have gotten to enjoy other perks of summer though, like buying fresh produce at the local farmers market and eating lots and lots of ice cream on hot nights when nothing else could possibly do. This summer will definitely be memorable and so as a, perhaps a bit early, send off to summer we created a Goodbye Summer Panzanella.

We love panzanellas – they are quick, yummy, and who doesn’t love a bunch of bread masquerading as a salad? They are a good alternative to a lettuce salad too. In case any of you were wondering what a panzanella is, Wiki tells me it is a Tuscan salad that includes soaked and stale bread, lots of tomatoes, and is dressed with oil and balsamic vinegar. Yum! Our love for panzanellas started instantaneously after we made our first one junior year of college. We just followed a simple, basic panzanella recipe, and boy did it come out great! Since then we have tried different versions of panzanellas. Most recently, we have made this Blueberry Turkey Panzanella Salad by Teaspoon of Spice, which inspired our Goodbye Summer Panzanella.

Ingredients: 

– Slightly stale small baguette, we also like to use stuffing croutons

– 1-1.5 cups of cherry tomatoes

– 1 zucchini

-1/2 lb chicken tenderloins (marinated in oil and vinegar for at least 30 minutes)

1/2 baguette

– Blueberries to top

For the Dressing:*

-2/3 cup blueberries

-3 Tablespoons coconut oil (virgin or extra virgin)

-1 Tablespoon red wine (or white)

-2 Tablespoons lemon juice

-salt and pepper to taste

*add water if you want the dressing to be more liquidy. We kept it more on the thick side. 

Directions:

1) Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

2) Once chicken is ready to cook, put it in a skillet on medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes on a side or until done.

3) Dice up the zucchini and put it in a second skillet with about 1/2 Tablespoon of coconut oil.

4) While the chicken and zucchini cook, chop the bread into strips. When the zucchini is almost tender, put the bread into the skillet with the zucchini

5) Slice cherry tomatoes in half, add them to the bread and zucchini skillet. Salt and pepper to taste.

6) This is a good time to make the dressing. To do this, toss all the dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

7) Once chicken is done, slice it up or shred it and add it to the veggie and bread skillet.

8) Add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the dressing to the skillet and toss it around. Turn the heat down to low and let the flavors combine for about 2 minutes.

9) Eat and enjoy!