Nectarine Panzanella Salad

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I had some much needed fun and relaxation. On Friday I went to a girls taco and Paloma night which was so nice. I am a fan of any dinner where I don’t have to spend the entire time fetching things for my kids- but this one was particularly nice since I got to spend time with girlfriends I don’t see nearly often enough.

Saturday my husband and I took a meditation lesson- amazing. I have many friends that are older than me and one of my favorite questions to ask my much wiser friends is “if you could tell your younger self to do one thing- what would it be” many of them have said the same thing: Meditate. Do any of you meditate? If so, what kind? How did you learn?

We then lept to the opposite end of zen Saturday night. Pete and I got decked out and went to a friends 80’s themed 40th birthday party. I wore a metallic 1980’s dress and a Mohawk and Pete wore a full blown head to toe denim outfit that included multiple washes of acid wash and a LOT of zippers. It was amazing and I captured the whole thing on snapchat, including how I gave myself a Mohawk- very funny.

And then wedding planning with my little brother and his fiancé all day on Sunday. I made Crunchy Taco Salads from my book for dinner and then well, its all waiting for GOT on Sunday nights. And now we have a last week of school to look forward to (I really can’t wait for Summer). But I have to say that the weather has been so nice, it feels like it has already arrived. The fruit and tomatoes are so gorgeous and ripe already that I was inspired to make this panzanella salad. It’s made exotic with it’s nectarine slices and toasted pistachios which lend an unexpected and really delicious dimension. This would be gorgeous served for company or as a really special lunch when you feel like treating yourself to a beautiful and healthy dish!

Nectarine Panzanella Salad

Author: Heather Christo

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 7 mins

Total time: 22 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 cups large chunks of baguette (I used a Vegan Gluten Free Baguette)
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt
1 ripe nectarine cut into wedges
2 large or 3 medium heirloom tomatoes cut into wedges
¼ red onion, very thinly sliced
⅓ cup roasted chopped pistachio nuts
2 tablespoons curly parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
kosher salt

Instructions

In a large pan over medium heat add the olive oil and then the bread chunks. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often until the bread is golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
In a large bowl add the nectarine, tomatoes, red onion, pistachios and parsley and then add the bread chunks.
In a small bowl whisk together the garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar and kosher salt to taste. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss. Transfer to a platter and serve at room temperature.

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