What screams summer?  Fresh tomatoes, the smell of basil and a little bit of fresh crunchy bread!  Well heck, maybe not the crunchy bread but let’s pretend it does.  Anyone like Bruschetta?  I happen to over indulge when I see it in front of me, on a restaurant menu or pretty much anywhere I can get my hands on it.  As you may have figured out, the combination of basil and tomatoes has me slightly addicted and cannot get enough.

This recipe although super simple is very tasty and seems to always please the crowd.  Now you can spend a little bit more effort on this recipe and parboil the tomatoes and take the skin off as well as seed them but for today I decided not too for time’s sake.

Ingredients

• 6 ripe plum tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Handful fresh basil leaves, chopped.
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tsp. balsamic vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Method

1. Prepare the tomatoes first. Slice, seed and chop the tomatoes in a large bowl.  Add in the garlic, vinegar, basil and oil and set aside.
2. Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat.
3. While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. Toast them in the top rack of your oven for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.
5. Place the bread olive oil side up and start scooping the tomato mixture on top.  Do this step right before serving or the bread may get soggy.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Alternatively, you can toast the bread without coating it in olive oil first. You can just toast it for one minute or so and then rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice.

So as some of you know, my birthday is tomorrow and as I was writing this post my 2 year old daughter comes down the stairs with a big smile on her face and says “Guess what Dad”.  I respond with “what dear”.  She says, “Well dad, I bought you a present…… for the kitchen!  all the while Mrs. Zesty tries to get her to stop and remind her that it is a surprise – I burst out laughing and just had to share it with you.

Alright, enjoy the bruschetta, have a great weekend and I will of course will be back with you on Monday.

Take care

zesty

Happy Wednesday!  Ever just feel that there is one food that is so versatile for any meal?  I think for me it has to be the banana.  Whether it is breakfast, lunch , dinner or dessert - the banana can make you happy.  High in potassium and fiber (9 grams for one), bananas are a no-brainer when it comes to eating your five a day quotient of fruits and veggies.

I was contacted by the folks at Endless Simmer and was asked if I would mind if they featured zesty in a post titled “100 things to do with a banana”.  Of course I said yes and always more than honored when fellow bloggers choose to feature my recipes and posts.  The one that was chosen is my use of banana on the super star toast.  Here is a snap shot of the toast if you never saw it before.

Below are a few more banana recipes that I have feature in the past on zesty.

Peanut Butter and Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Monkey

Super Star Toast II

Banana Walnut Bread

Triple Decker Peanut Butter Sandwich

There you have a quick summary on the fabulous food called “BANANA“.  Tell me what your favorite ingredient is for anytime throughout the day and feel free to plug your blog if you have one and link to the recipe in the comments.

Have an amazing mid week Wednesday!  It is going to be sunny here… finally.

Take care

zesty