Quick and Easy Tomato Basil Bruschetta

We bought a new charcoal Weber Grill last week and decided to test it out yesterday. We had my sister and her boyfriend over and made some jerk chicken, asparagus, potato salad, and strawberry meringue pie. My goal was to post the pie, but I overcooked my meringue....still tasted ok, but wasn't blog worthy. We had bought a loaf of cuban bread (the bakery was actually out of french bread!) to grill as well, but totally forgot about it!  So I decided to use it tonight, as well as the rest of my grape tomatoes and the Basil I had. I actually had to buy basil last week and it was so expensive for such a tiny box! We planted some basil seed but it hasn't really taken off yet. Anyways, I just wanted to use up some stuff I had and threw together some quick bruschetta (I didn't use any specific measurements here). There are many ways you can make it, but I opted for an easy version this time.

Ingredients
French/Cuban or any type of crusty loaf bread
Cherry tomatoes (or you can cut up some plum/roma tomatoes)
Garlic
Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh Basil
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Pepper
Mozarella Cheese (fresh would be the best, but we only had the pre-shredded kind)

Directions
1. Slice up a few pieces of bread (not too thick)
2. Rub a clove of fresh cut garlic over each slice
3. Brush each slice with olive oil
4.Cut cherry tomatoes into quarters
5.Place a small handful of tomatoes on each piece of bread
6.Top with mozarella cheese
7. Sprinkle on basil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar
8. Stick under the broiler under browned

Just a few other variations to consider:
*Mix tomatoes together with some fresh pesto sauce
*add in some sauteed onions
*use feta cheese instead of mozarella
*experiment with different kinds of bread



Recipe Source: Harper's Original

Zucchini-Ricotta Fritters

I had one zucchini left last week that I didn't want to go to waste and I decided I wanted to make something with it other than bread. I came across some fritter recipes and thought I'd give it a shot. I had also planned on making some baked ziti later in the week and had some ricotta on hand which was perfect for these. I was pretty pleased with the overall outcome, although some of mine did fall apart on me.

Ingredients
1/4 - 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 medium to large zucchini, shredded
1/4 small white onion (or 1 shallot) thinly sliced
1 large egg
6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Kosher salt and black  pepper
Olive oil for frying

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, garlic, onions ricotta, egg, lemon zest and a dash of salt and pper. Mix together and then stir in the flour just until incorporated.

2. Line a large baking sheet with paper towels.
3.In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of olive oil over medium heat. Add about 2-tablespoons of zucchini batter to the hot oil for each fritter, spreading them to form 3-inch fritters. Fry turning once until browned and crispy (approx 3-4 minutes).

Drain on the paper towels and serve right away. Top with fresh parsley and lemon slices



Recipe source: adapted from Mario Batali (via foodandwine.com)

Stuffed Campari Tomatoes

I don't normally buy campari tomatoes because they are kind of pricey but they were on sale last week so I bought 2 packages. They have a sweeter flavor than your regular vine ripened tomatoes that I really like. I searched for some recipes I could use them in and found a recipe for stuffed tomatoes. I've had stuffed mushrooms before which I love, but don't think I've ever had stuffed tomoatoes. I  made them as an appetizer the other night when I made the bowtie pasta with sausage and sage and they were gone in less then 5 minutes.  Of course it was just me and my husband so I only made 6 of them, but you could easily make more for a large dinner party.


Ingredients
6 Campari Tomatoes
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp prepared pesto (I used Basil Pesto)
1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1-2 Tbsp Asiago Cheese (Parmesan or Mozarella works too)
Salt and Pepper

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. Cut off tops of tomatoes and scoop out the insides, saving some of the juice. I used a teaspoon to scoop the insides out into a cup and then strained to keep the juice.

3.Sprinkle the insides of the tomatoes with a little salt and pepper
4. Heat olive oil in skillet and add garlic and panko until nice and toasty, about 2-3 minutes
5. In a medium bowl, mix together the panko/garlic with the pesto and 1Tbsp of the reserved tomato juice

6. Spoon mixture into the tomatoes and top with the cheese
7. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and tomatoes are softened.



Recipe Source: Adapted from Life's Ambrosia

Salsa Creamcheese Rollups

This is one of my go to appetizers to bring to potlucks and parties.  I actually organized a potluck lunch at work today and brought this along with some rosemary lemon chicken and some christmas cookies. It's a really random mix I know, but that's what's fun about potlucks! You get to bring what you want and then try a little bit of everything.  My mom used to make these growing up. I remember when she would make them to take to her Bunko games and we weren't supposed to eat them, but I would bug her until I got a few pieces :)  They are just so good and addictive! They don't really have a name but I just call them Salsa Creemcheese Rollups-because that's exactly what they are!

Ingredients
1 block of creamcheese-softened
Flour tortillas-burrito size (get ones without hydrongenated oil! Almost every single brand one at the grocery store has it, which sucks! I usually get mine at Earthfare)
Salsa-I use Pace brand in Mild
Shredded cheddar cheese (about a handful)
Chopped green onion or chives (small handful)
cumin
salt
pepper
garlic powder
Tony's Creole Seasoning (should be in a green can-most grocery stores should have it)

Directions
Mix together creamcheese and a little salsa with an electric mixer.  Start out with just a little salsa and add more as needed. There's really no specific measurement.  I usually use less than half the jar depending on the size.  Add in shredded cheese, green onion or chives, and spices.  Again, no specific measurements. Just a couple shakes of the spices.  Taste testing as you go works best :)  Once mixed together, spread evenly onto tortillas (usually fills about 4 tortillas).

 Rollup up and then place seam side down on a cutting board. I like to put mine in the fridge for a little bit. They are easier to cut that way.  When ready to cut, slice off the very ends and cut into about 1 inch pieces.

These taste the best the day you make them, but I've eaten leftovers a day or 2 later.