Healthy living and my Vegan Kitchen Sink Panzanella Salad

           I get pretty pissed off when the iPad eats my posts. Blogger's new interface isn't too iPad friendly with the auto-save. Allow me to collect my rant and pick up where i left off.
          I've read Michael Pollan, I read Mark Bittman, and I've already watched all of those food documentaries on Netflix. I've even seen the one about the Buddhist hippie guy in Nor Cal who won't waste any food. I also follow some snout-hoof guys on twitter. Look, I'm all foodie-ed out. I know you know this. So when you guys get on Facebook or rent Food Inc. and start trying to tell me about how fucking great the current batch of food docs are and how we really need to change our habits you can hold your god damn tongue. I'm excited that you signed the petition to join Jamie Oliver's food revolution and I saw that you reposted the link to the 'schools taking chocolate milk out of cafeterias.' I'm happy you're starting to get it but when I see you at walmart and your cart is stacked full of lean cuisine I can't help but wonder if you see the irony. Wait, it's organic frozen dinner? That makes it better. You're winning. I guess irony is dead.

         Even I shop at the land 'o lard (Walmart). I'm not hating on overweight people. that's legitimate. Heart disease, diabetes, the western diet's effects on the Japanese... yeah, yeah, I know about all that shit too. Corporate corn? Yes. I once had a friend tell me that they had given up corn on the cob because of Cargill. Some people are totally missing the point. My point, I'll get back to it. There's a recipe in here I promise. I am the guy who has the basket but takes as long as the soccer mom with the cart because the checker is having to ask me what a Leek is and look up the code for ginger root. It takes forever. Everything I buy is perishable. I mean, I do a "U" shaped loop through the store hitting all of the fresh veg, some bread, some smart chicken, some Greek yogurt, and I'm out. It normally brings up a conversation with the checker about food or how expensive eating all fresh stuff is. Even when its on my scale. I like starting those conversations because I feel like I get to explain eating healthy and how I make it work. I strictly follow the kitchen sink method. Use it til its gone. Don't let your greens go bad. Waste not, want not. I buy small-ish scale because I only cook for me. I buy what looks freshest and whats in season so there's no method to my veggie shopping madness. That means that sometimes I get some weird leftovers or fridge lingerers. By the end of the week (or the start of the next week if I had a paticularly long weekend)  the fridge looks like I'm on some crazy fad diet or someone else does my shopping for me.
            So, the other night when i was feeling famished and looked into the fridge I was frightened by the sad array I had in front of me. Upon a quick inspection I found: 4 wrinkly romas that look like your grandpas testicles, 2 shallots starting to go south so (1 full shallot), half a thing of capers, some Trader Joe's kalamata olives, 2/3 of a roasted bell pepper, some basil from my dying basil plant, a bit of oregano from my mom's garden, and 1/3 of a loaf of stale ciabiatta that was starting to grow tiny stars of mold on the top. Other than some condiments and some eggs that was it. But I had a stroke of culinary genius.  I could throw a Panzanella salad together and the things i had on-hand would be perfect.

Batard Chef Kitchen Sink Panzanella Salad:

1 Shallot peeled and cut coarse,
2 large cloves garlic
1 tbls capers
4 (I had 3 good) roma tomatoes ripe or roasted
1 tp crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tp brown mustard
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil (it's all i had left) + 1 tbls
1/4 C Kalamata olives
1/2 tp sugar
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/2 C mixed or your favorite salad greens
bunch fresh oregano
bunch fresh basil
1 roasted red bell pepper

first things first, you need to cut the hard crust and random mold off of the bread. Your bread not crusty or moldy? You're better off than I was.

 1. Preheat oven to 325 and cut hard crust from bread and tear into small pieces, put into oven safe pan and drizzle w/ 1 tbls oil.
2. toast bread crumbs for 10-15 minutes until starting to get crisp
3. combine vinegar, capers, garlic, basil, oregano, mustard, sugar, into a food processor. Pulse  as you slowly drizzle in the 1/4 of oil to emulsify. set aside
4. chop bell pepper, tomato, and olives coarsely
5. pull bread from oven and allow to cool slightly
6. Combine bread crumbs, tomato, olives, and dressing into a serving bowl. Mix.
7. place in fridge and let rest until cool so the flavors can marry. about 20 minutes


To Plate: arrange the greens in the center of the plate and using a serving cup arrange a portion of the panzanella on top. garinsh with kosher salt and fresh pepper.

Panzanella Salad Awesomeness

I didn't have quite enough olive oil so I added some canola. you want the bread to be breaking down and very soft.

I know this is surprising because there's no bacon, duck fat, or cheese and if you can guess where I'm going... this shit is straight up vegan. that's right. I just gave you an awesome vegan recipe. the bread is satisfying, it's got that good briny flavor from the capers and olives and the roasted tomato and pepper makes it pretty fantastic.