Zesty Cook » toast

Bruschetta, Bruschetta, Bruschetta!

zesty — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:00:40 +0000

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

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.
Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat.
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.
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.
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.
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

Let's Go Bananas!

zesty — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:00:29 +0000

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

Super Star Toast

zesty — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:00:53 +0000

I decided to go back in time because a lot of new folks have never seen my first ever post relating to Super Star Toast. Over time I have had many variations on this slice but when I think back…. this piece of toast really goes above and beyond. Last night was a fend for yourself supper and I was craving toast. I went back to old faithful and I was not disappointed.

Tell me what you think of this piece of toast and drop a comment if you have a favorite combination of toppings on your toast. Or maybe you are a single topping kind of person.

So I had some kaiser rolls left over from the weekend and since I really despise wasting food, I decided to pop them in the toaster oven. Originally I was just going to go with some plain old butter, a glass of apple juice along with some granola and banana. Then a light went on and I thought that maybe I could kick this toast up a little bit. What you are about to see is, in my mind, a true kicked up piece of toast.

For me this was amazing! I loved the flavor combination and the texture. It was a true treat and something I would definitely eat again!

Ingredients

1 Kaiser ( Toasted )
1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter
1 Tbsp. Nutella
1 Banana ( Mashed )
1 Tbsp. Granola
Drizzle of Honey

Method

Toast Kaiser
Spread Peanut Butter
Top with Nutella
Add mashed banana, then top with granola
Drizzle with Honey
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you are having more than one piece, my recommendation would be to prepare one piece at a time to prevent it from going soggy. Also it is a good way to use up over ripe bananas.

Well this is it! I hope you have a great weekend!

Take care

zesty

New Years Gala Assorted Toasts

zesty — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:30:16 +0000

Ok, where do I start. The New Years eve gala was nothing short of amazing. When you see the food line up I think you will agree. On top of all the food the night included some adult beverages, some funny board games ( FART and Apple to Apples ) as well as some great music and even some dancing. I will not delve to far into the dancing aspect of the evening.

For these toasts, I listed the ingredients and method for each of the three flavors. You will also see in the pictures that there was a 4th toast which was called Fig and Balsamic. This was a pre-made spread from the superstore so I didn’t include it in the post. It was quite tasty nonetheless.

Roasted Onions

1 or 2 Onions ( sliced)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1Tbsp. butter
Salt and Pepper
1 Tsp Rosemary, thyme, oregano

Method

Slowly brown onions in butter and olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper as well as those herbs desired.
Dried and fresh herbs can be used but the more delicate herbs should be added near the end of the cooking time.
Total time will probably be over 30 minutes as this avoid the onions burning.
Little attention is required during this time.

Sauteed Mushrooms

Mix of mushroom types sliced, Portabella and Shitake were used. Quantities depend on how much is desired.
Butter
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Method

Brown in heated pan that has butter and oil added to melt.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cook until mushrooms brown and reduce in size

Roasted Red Pepper and Cheese

2 Red Bell Pepper
5 Oz soft goat cheese
1 Tsp. minced shallot
Salt and Pepper

Method

Roast peppers until skin is blackened and place in paper bag to steam. This will make peeling the skin easy.
The peppers can be roasted on grill, over a gas burner or through broiling.
Dice the peppers once cooled and peeled.
Mix with the remaining ingredients and allow flavors to blend.

Slice baguette to about 1/2 inch thick. Grill on one side, or drizzle olive oil over parchment paper lined pan and place toasts on the paper. Add toppings and again drizzle with olive oil and bake in 350 F oven.

The bottoms will toast and crust from the olive oil, and the parchment will prevent sticking.

The first of quite a few great dishes to remember 2009. Stay tuned for some more great recipes that you can make for you and your family.

Take care

zesty

Super Star Toast II

zesty — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:00:28 +0000

Happy Easter to you! I hope you had a great weekend. For our family, the Easter egg hunt was a lot of fun and the food was great as well. Easter morning is a nice relaxing time to spend with the family. We like to enjoy a slow pace breakfast then hunt for Easter eggs that the Easter bunny dropped off!

Today, I thought I would share with you a couple of new renditions of the super star toast that I posted a little while ago.

This concoction is a great way to play around with toast combinations and add variety to the everyday breakfast.

Ingredients

2 slices Whole wheat bread( Toasted )
1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter
1 Banana ( sliced )
Drizzle of Honey
Blueberries/ Raspberry Jam
Sprinkle of Flax seeds

Method

Toast Bread
Spread Peanut Butter
Add banana, blueberries/ raspberry jam, then drizzle with honey
Add Flax seeds

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When creating this combination, I like to put the honey on top of the banana so that it will create a glue like adherence for the blueberries.

Easter Dinner Recap

I would like to say that I had a fabulous Easter dinner compliments of my Mom and Dad. The food was amazing as I just showed up in time to cook the beef, help with the gravy and do a few side jobs with the salad and such. I did bring the camera but I was a bit disappointed with the quality of the photos but I will share with you some of them.

On the Menu

Main Course

Glazed Ham with Mustard and Corn Syrup ( topped with pineapple)
Prime Rib
Mashed Potatoes
Carrots
Turnip
Peas/Corn
Crunchy Coleslaw
Garden Salad
Homemade Mustard Pickles
Beets

Dessert

Lemon Pie
Raisin Pie
Apple Pie
Skor Bar Trifle

The meat, so tender, moist and delicious. The ham had such a nice flavor with the pineapple and the mustard glaze. The prime rib was so tender and flavorful. By searing the outside you guarantee to lock in the juices and ensure a tender moist piece of meat. It was a huge hit.

With all the vegetable trimmings, one of my favorites is the homemade mustard pickles. It was simply great. And to feel spring like, the crunchy coleslaw and garden salad made a nice addition to the meal. As you can see by the delicious dessert list, I intentionally only had one heaping plate of dinner to make room. The desserts were amazing. If you like pies then you have to try my Mom’s pie crust. It is so flaky and melts in your mouth.

I hope you have a great Monday but before you go, don’t forget to enter in the clothing line giveaway . If you have a few extra dollars, order your favorite zesty wear and support the food bank (100% of the profits are donated). Talk to you tomorrow.

Take care

zesty

A Sunday Breakfast

zesty — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:00:14 +0000

Welcome back from the weekend! We had a great couple days off. We did some family visiting, some relaxing as well as spending time preparing for the week.

The next couple weeks will be the biggest in Zesty history. Now zestycook.com being only 6 months old – that is not that big of deal. However this will will mark the launch of the new and improved look for zestycook as well as the much anticipated free E-Book feature recipes from myself as well as other amazing foodies. I am very excited and looking forward to sharing with you all the hard work.

As for today’s post, I was debating what to post especially with all the sweet treats last week so I opted for a breakfast post. I do eat breakfast everyday… but I rarely post breakfast recipes. Even though there will be no recipe today, here’s a breakfast I prepared yesterday. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Let me know what you think of this somewhat balanced breakfast.

Granola with Yogurt & Berries

1/2 Cup Fibre Flax Granola
1/2 Cup Vanilla Yogurt
Strawberries and Blueberries

Multi Grain Toast, Raspberry Jam and Eggs

2 Pieces of Toast
2 Eggs Soft Boiled (7 minutes)
1 Tbsp. Raspberry Jam

Multi grain toast with oatmeal on top (love the oatmeal).

2 Soft boiled eggs (cooked just right)

Yum!

Raspberry jam on toast with spoonful of egg… oh I really love that.

Me trying to get fancy with the camera… not sure it worked

So there you have it! A zesty Sunday breakfast – pretty easy, pretty tasty, and (for the most part) healthy. I hope you have a great Monday whether you are at the office, in the classroom or at home.

Take care

zesty

Zesty's Top Ten Toast Toppings

zesty — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:00:32 +0000

Happy Tuesday everybody! Quite a title for this post… isn’t it? Well I am hoping to have an interactive post about toppings for your toast. Now of course there is plain butter but I thought I would share with you some of my all-time favorite toppings for toast. In return, I would love for each and every reader to post their favorite topping in the comments section. I think this will be fun!

Let’s keep in mind that the options are endless and it’s very difficult to narrow it down to just ten. It just so happens that I have a couple of different loaves of bread on hand so here are some of my favorites and a couple pictures.

Top Ten Toast Toppings

Apple Sauce (homemade), Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Dash of Brown Sugar – A simple dessert like toast that can be enjoyed anytime of the day.
Peanut Butter, Nutella (or any chocolate spread) and Banana – This stick to your ribs favorite will get you going in the morning.
Butter, Strawberry Jam, Sharp Cheddar Cheese - Possibly one of my all time favorite…. i love the combination of cheese and homemade jam from Mom.
Bacon, Tomato, Cheddar Cheese - A quick BLT without the lettuce… you can add lettuce if you want but I prefer without.
Almond Butter, Honey and Granola - The sweet goodness really fills you up in the morning. great combination of flavors here.
Butter, Garlic, Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese - The old fashion garlic bread… can you really beat it. Serve this up with a big dish of Spaghetti
Tuna Salad, Celery, Havarti Cheese - A simple lunch that really fits the bill and is so delicious on a thick slice of multigrain bread in the toaster oven.
Butter and Poached Egg - The breakfast classic and oh so good with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice or even a berry smoothie

Brie, Cranberry Sauce and Bacon – Killer snack and even great for parties on mini toasts.
Chicken Salad, Walnuts and Diced Granny Smith Apple - One of my favorite open faced sandwiches.

Zesty Tip: When cooking toast, always try and add the topping as soon as the toast is popped and at it’s hottest point. Also if you are adding a fairly heavy topping, I like to brown the toast a little darker than normal to avoid the bread getting soggy.

So there you have it, my top ten toast toppings! I am sure that there are hundreds of combinations out there, so let’s hear them. This is a great opportunity for you to share your crazy toast toppings. You just may realize that it is not that crazy after all. Have a great Tuesday everybody. Keep Smiling.

zesty