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The basil growing just steps from my kitchen has proven to be a powerful inspiration lately. Today I made a delicious bruschetta if I do say so myself! My aunt and owner of Espresso Restaurant in Gloucester has an amazing eggplant bruschetta on her menu and I wanted to try to recreate it myself. Rather than breading and pan frying the eggplant, I let it marinate in a little olive oil, lots of garlic and crushed red pepper then sauteed it. It's a really simple and inexpensive recipe and definitely worthy of serving at a party as an appetizer. With robust flavors of fresh local ingredients, you really can't go wrong!
Tomato and Eggplant Bruschetta (serves 4)
Ingredients:
2 ripe tomatoes
approx. 1/3 eggplant
3-4 cloves garlic, divided
crushed red pepper, to taste (~1 tbsp)
1 handful fresh basil (about 1/4 cup chopped)
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tsp olive oil, divided
1/8 c. vegetable broth
2 tsp grated parmesan cheese
salt, to taste
basil leaves to garnish
Start by chopping the eggplant into cubes. Place in a ziplock bag, add 2 tsp olive oil, 2 large cloves fresh garlic, pressed or finely chopped and the crushed red pepper. I did this about 2 hours before I started preparing the rest of the bruschetta.
When you're ready to start, heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a sauteing pan on low heat and add the eggplant. Stir constantly so the eggplant doesn't stick. Add the vegetable broth and cook until the eggplant softens, about 10-15 minutes. I added a little extra basil in the pan too. Set aside (cool in the fridge).
Next chop the tomatoes into chunks and place in medium bowl. Add a light sprinkle of salt. Then chop the basil and add it to the bowl. Next add two more cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped. And then add the balsamic vinegar.
Once the eggplant is no longer hot, add it to the bowl. Then add the grated cheese. I used Kraft reduced fat grated cheese (it comes in a green container).
The longer the bruschetta sits, the more the flavors will marry and the better it gets!
To serve, I bought a loaf of sliced Tuscan whole wheat bread and I used two slices, cut in half. I sprayed a piece of tin foil with a little cooking spray, spread 1/4 tsp light Smart Balance "butter" spread on each slice, then sprinkled with garlic powder. I cooked the bread at 350 degees, flipped the slices after 5 minutes or so, cooked another 5 minutes then put them directly on the rack for another 2-3 minutes. Just stand close to the oven and watch so they don't burn. This is one of my favorite recipes on the blog thus far, you definitely have to make this!
Calorie Count: Eggplant bruschetta yields approximately 65 calories per serving. If served atop two whole slices toasted Tuscan wheat bread calorie count increases to 240 calories.
This is a quick and easy lunch, but it would also make a great appetizer at a party! A Tostada is basically an open-faced quesadilla and you can put anything you want on top. I made my tostada by layering a medium sized tortilla, refried beans, sauteed vegetables, and cheese, mmm...
Easy Tostada (serves 1)
Ingredients:
1 whole wheat tortilla
2 T. vegetarian/fat free refried beans
2 T. corn kernels
2 T. chopped onion
1/4 c. diced zucchini
chopped fresh chives, to taste
1 oz. cheddar cheese (I used 75% reduced fat Cabot block cheese)
1 tsp olive oil
dash of cayenne pepper & chili powder
optional toppings- salsa, sour cream
First, add the oil to a medium sized skillet and heat on medium to high heat. Add the corn, onion, chives, and zucchini. *These were the veggies I had in my fridge. Peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli would also be great choices.
As the vegetables start to sizzle, stir 'em up. If they start to stick to the pan, add a little bit of water or vegetable stock/broth. Once they really get cooking, add the spices. Meanwhile, spread the refried beans onto the tortilla. Now you're going to do a little switcheroo, take the veggies out of the pan (put them on a plate) and lay the tortilla onto the pan, no need to make more dishes for yourself!
Be sure to move the tortilla in the pan so it doesn't stick or burn. Now you can add the vegetables on top of the refried beans to make an even layer. And do the same with the cheese.
*Don't sacrifice quality to save calories! Find a cheese you like and stick with it. Note that the sharper the cheese, the less you need because the flavor is more intense. I also think block cheese has a better flavor than pre-shredded cheese, but takes more time to grate it yourself.
The cheese will start to melt in the pan, but by the time it all melts, you'll have a burnada, not a tostada. To finish if off, transfer it to a baking sheet, and fire up your broiler on low. It's done when the cheese is all melted. *don't just stick it in the microwave or else you'll have a soggyada and nobody likes that! Enjoy :)
Don't let the word tofu scare you away here! Chicken would be a perfectly acceptable (and delicious) substitution in this recipe, I just happened to have an unopened package of tofu in my fridge and decided to use that. This was a simple recipe to prepare and took no time at all to whip up the satay sauce. This was my first go at testing out this recipe and I made it for dinner but I think it would be a great party appetizer.
curry tofu with satay sauce (serves 4)
Ingredients (tofu):
1 package firm tofu
1/2 tsp curry powder
coarse sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
cooking spray
Ingredients (satay sauce):
3/4 cup fat free sour cream
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp chunky peanut butter
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. First remove tofu from package and cut into small cubes. Lay paper towels on a baking sheet, place tofu on paper towels, layer with more paper towels and put something heavy on top to drain the liquid (cutting board and heavy pan or tea kettle). Press tofu for at least 10 minutes. If you have enough time, change the paper towels and press for another 10 minutes. Draining the liquid gets the tofu more firm and dense.
Spray a baking pan with a little cooking spray and lay the tofu out. Add salt, pepper, and curry powder, shake a little to cover all sides of the tofu. Bake for ~30 minutes, flipping the tofu occasionally to crisp the sides.
While the tofu is baking, prepare the satay sauce. Add all ingredients into a microwave safe bowl and whisk until completely blended. Heat the sauce in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring until heated throughout. Drizzle the sauce over the tofu and enjoy!
The nutty flavor of the sauce is actually more subtle than I thought it was going to be. The peanut pieces in the peanut butter added some texture which was great. You could use creamy peanut butter if that's what you normally buy and eat... but I like my peanut butter like I like my babies... chunky, that is. The soy sauce and sesame oil combined to make a really nice flavor. I served the tofu over whole wheat couscous and broiled zucchini. If you want to substitute the tofu for chicken, I'd recommend grilling or broiling the chicken. As an appetizer, I'd stick all of the tofu cubes with a tooth pick and serve with a large bowl of satay sauce for dipping... who doesn't love a good dip??
