Panzanella Salad

I had several ingredients left over from cooking for the week and wanted to use them up. A couple of the creative ladies from the What's Cooking board on the Nest.com recommended that I make Panzanella Salad. My first thought...What on earth is Panzanella Salad? I looked up recipes for it and instantly knew that I had to try it. Wow! That's all I can say! Wow! It is so yummy. I can't believe I've never had it before. My picture does not do it justice...you'll just have to trust me on this and try it for yourself! This particular recipe came from AllRecipes.com and makes 8 servings. I reduced the amount of ingredients and just made enough for me. I also used black olives instead of green.

What you'll need:

6 cups day old Italian bread, torn into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
3/4 cup sliced red onion
10 basil leaves, shredded
1/2 cup pitted and halved green olives
1 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-size pieces

What you'll do:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a large bowl, toss bread with 1/3 cup olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Lay bread on a baking sheet, and toast in the preheated oven until golden, about 5 to 10 minutes; allow to cool slightly.
While the bread is in the oven, whisk together 1/4 cup of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Gently toss together the bread, tomatoes, onion, basil, olives, and mozzarella cheese.

Toss with the vinaigrette and let stand for 20 minutes before serving.