There is an alternative if you are Vegetarian so please read on to enjoy this super summer salad.
This weeks Ellie recipe chosen by Peggy of Pantry Revisited and it couldn’t have been more perfect for the hot summer weather we are having which promotes cool, fresh vegetables and lovely grilled flavors.
Ted and I had the opportunity to share this recipe with friends and an extra face at the table, Teddy aka Young Ted. It was a hit. All plates were cleaned, right down to the pattern. The chicken sausage was a new experience for everyone who tried the tasty links.
The recipe is defined as a tomato and bread salad. It truly is an experience you won’t forget with the burst of fresh chunky tomatoes, red onion strips, crisp and refreshing English cucumber gently coated with oil and red wine vinegar. The bread, a whole wheat French baguette, is cut into thick 3/4 inch cubes and offers a firm but not crispy kind of crouton.
After all the chopping and mixing is complete, chill the salad while the sausages, whether vegetarian sausages or pre-cooked chicken sausages are used. They only take about 7-9 minutes on the grill.
The only change I made to this recipe, other than using veggie sausage, was to slice the cucumber in full moons rather than half moons. Not a big deal, just a little lazy.
This was a perfect meal for a hot weekend or easy meal for a busy week night.
Great pick Peggy. Whoops! I just went to Peggy’s site and she has some delicious brownie pictures on there. I better go back before I have a melt down!
Words of caution: If you photograph your food, do not ask anyone at the table if you can take a picture of their sausage. It will only be met with a series of comments and a lot of snickering. Geesh! Some adults can be such children. HUSBANDS included.
Have you ever eaten Chicken Sausages? Like? Dislike?
Joanne
Veggie sausages…I will need to be on the look for those and give those a try as I haven’t ever seen them. We love to use the grill in the summer, so this was great, no heating of the kitchen at all! Yours looks great, isn’t it all so pretty with all the colors in the dish? Love that.
There is something so delicious in a colorful dish. You’re right.
Your pictures get better everyday….love this one! What do you do in the winter months? No sun from August on up there? Love the way those colors blend looks like a great dish for fall for sure loving it!
Thanks Claudia. We do our best in the winter. I have a feeling this year and into 2011, I’ll be on the slopes with Ted and his new love of snow boarding. There’s some nasty bruises to be had in our future.
Joanne your sausage comment left me in stitches! We loved the chicken sausage, but I’m curious as to how the veggie sausage measures up? I would like to try that. And your bread cubes are so perfect. Mine are not symmetrical in any way! We were very surprised at how much we loved this dish. Ate it two nights in a row! I’m so glad you guys liked it. Thank you SO much for cooking along with me this week. You make it so much fun!
Ted won’t eat the veggie sausage but our friends tried it and enjoyed it. I like it and think that it has a good texture.
I have been dying to make panzanella! It’s definitely on my list since I know how much I like the Fattoush salad which has the crispy pita chips. Mmmmm….
I’ll have to look into Fattoush.
Gorgeous photos, Joanne! This looks so yummy! I made mine with Field Roast chorizo and it was really good.
Chorizo has so much flavor. Great idea.
I’m definitely going to try this one. It looks sooo good!
It was good. Just make sure you use a real firm, DAY OLD or more, baguette. Otherwise you will end up with soggy bread. & cut the pcs. thick and more like 1″ than3/4″
Both of your variations look like they turned out great! I’m glad to hear that company enjoyed this, as well. I did love your photograping sausage story. Very funny!
Thanks.
Beautiful! I can imagine that your company enjoys all the food you prepare…how could you go wrong? Thanks for the vegetarian alternative…I’ll have to give those links a try.
LOL @ snickering over taking pictures of sausage 🙂 That is definitely something Ryan would do, so I’m glad to know that some guys just never grow up! Since I have three younger brothers, I’m pretty much used to it.
I love chicken sausages. I pretty much always use the fully cooked chicken sausages, but sometimes I will use raw turkey sausage, depending on what kind I need and what I can find. I love both and don’t miss pork sausage at all. I also like the Morningstar Farms veggie sausage, and I’m going to look for the kind you used here. I hoped to find a veggie chorizo for the paella but Publix didn’t have any.
Morning Star Farms are one of our favorite brands. Ted will even eat the patties.
Yep, always take pics in private. Avoids all sniggering.
How colorful that salad looks. I will have to look for the chicken sausage. Have never seen it. Has to be better for you than what I usually buy.
Yours looks great and I love chicken sausage especially when they are fresh!
I love Al Fresco chicken sausages! I also love veggie sausages. I want both of them right now, LOL.
Jenn
Thanks Jenn – you’re doing a super job with your raw food diet.
Your chicken sausage panzanella looksq so tasty, dear Joanne!
So colourful too!
MMMMMMM,…
Wow! That salad is absolutely stunning. Such great colors! I really enjoyed this one. I added some fresh romaine, since I had picked up that morning with my CSA share. Yum! A repeater for us, for sure.
I love the veggie sausage. Life is getting better, by the moment. I am making this for dinner so I have no idea what it will be like. So far, the dishes, I have seen look great. Glad to hear that you all liked it.
I’ve never made a panzanella before, but I definitely like the idea! How could an excuse to eat lots of tasty bread possibly be bad? 😉
I have tried the chicken sausages and LOVED the buffalo chicken kind. I’m looking orward to trying it with this recipe!