Gazpacho Panzanella Salad

This colorful salad combines the best of the classic Spanish soup, gazpacho, and the Italian bread salad, panzanella. Chop the vegetables, and toast the bread cubes ahead of time, but assemble the salad right before serving because the bread will soak up the juices and become soggy if it sits too long. If you prefer a drier panzanella, add less dressing.

Salad

4 ounces French bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Olive oil flavored cooking spray
3 1/2 cups chopped seeded tomatoes (about 2 pounds)
2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped thinly red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 3/4 cup chopped seeded cucumber

Dressing:

1/2 cup low sodium vegetable juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/ tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree

2. To prepare salad, arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Lightly coat bread cubes with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once set aside.

3. Place tomatoes, chicken, cucumbers, bell pepper, onion and parsley in a large bowl; toss gently to combine.

4. To prepare dressing, combine juice and next 6 ingredients, stirring with a wish add pepper. Drizzle over salad, tossing gently to coat. Stir in bread cubes, let stand 5 minutes. Serve immediately.