Balsamic Tomato Bruschetta
Ingredients:
2 cups grape tomatoes cut in eighths
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried Italian spice
1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dark balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon agave nectar or sugar
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
10 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced (you can use 2 tablespoons of dried basil instead if you don’t have access to fresh basil.)
1 loaf of French bread, sliced and toasted
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Slice French bread into 10 separate ½ inch pieces and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
3. In a small bowl add 3 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon garlic powder salt and Italian spices. Mix well and drizzle over the slices of bread. Set aside.
4. Place sliced bread in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until toasted.
5. Chop tomatoes and olives and place in a medium sized bowl.
6. In a separate small bowl mix together all the remaining ingredients to create the dressing, except for the fresh basil.
8. Drizzle the dressing over the tomatoes and olives. Mix well. Set aside.
9. Top the French bread with the tomato mixture.
10. then on top of the tomatoes place the thinly sliced fresh basil.
Yield: 10 slices
This recipe is one of my favorites! I just love the combination of vine ripened tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. If you are anything like me you will find yourself wanting second and third servings of this amazing treat. Tomatoes are loaded with vitamin C and lycopene an antioxidant that is so beneficial for good health. Tomatoes also contain potassium, vitamin K and beta carotene (which can be converted to vitamin A.) If you desire more protein, you can add a half cup of cooked and drained navy beans to the tomato and olive mixture. Delicious!