Hopefully a contest-worthy recipe

I just entered a recipe into a contest last night with Rudi's Gluten-Free Bakery. The recipe is Spring Panzanella with Grilled Rudi's, a seasonal, healthy and fairly simple salad. When I first looked into the contest, it asked for entrants to create a recipe that incorporated at least one of their Rudi's gluten-free bread products. I decided that my recipe needed to star the bread, and this recipe definitely does. The bread is treated with care and as it soaks up the flavors of the salad, it gets even better. Hope you enjoy it!

Spring Panzanella with Grilled Rudi's: Yields 4 Servings
1 small bunch spring beets (about ½ lb)
½ red onion, thinly sliced into quarter moons
Juice of 1 lemon, divided
1 T Sherry vinegar
1 T sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste
5 slices Rudi’s Multigrain Bread
¼ cup olive oil, divided
1 bunch asparagus (about ½ lb)
1 cup fresh peas
1 ½ T chopped fresh mint
1 ½ T chopped fresh parsley
2 oz crumbled goat cheese

1. Cover beets with water and boil until tender, about 30 minutes. Peel and cut each into 8 wedges.
2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Also, prepare an ice water bath to be used later.
3. In a small bowl, combine the onion, 1 T lemon juice, Sherry vinegar, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Let sit, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the remainder of the dish.
4. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the Rudi’s Multigrain Bread with 2 T of the olive oil. Grill on each side until charred and finish crisping in the preheated oven. Cut each slice into 6 large pieces.
5. Blanch the asparagus in the boiling salted water for 30 seconds, or until crisp-tender. Shock in the ice water bath until cool. Drain and slice into 1-inch pieces on a bias. Blanch the peas for 15-30 seconds; shock and drain.
6. In a large bowl, gently toss together the beets, onions, bread, remaining lemon juice and olive oil, asparagus, peas, mint and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let salad sit for 5 minutes and top with crumbled goat cheese before serving.


We've been in and out over the past few weekends, but last night I made a delicious meal with mostly things things that I already had on hand (my pantry might be stocked a little differently than most other people hehe). I prepared Saffron Rice Pilaf-Stuffed Red Peppers with Sauteed Broccoli Rabe. Check back soon for the recipe!