Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Bruschetta on Zucchini for a festive 4th



So it's July already!







How did that happen? 



Wasn't it just the other day we were shoveling snow and thinking summer would never come?






Well, now it's July and the 4th is nearly upon us, so what do I have to share with you today? A good old American variation on an Italian recipe.

Zucchini Bruschetta

A prize should go to whoever can pronounce that correctly.   You can test yourself here.


Now, if you're a visual learner, you can skip the first part of my post and just watch the video that comes on after your phonics lesson above.  Or you can go here - bruschetta.


Or you could go back and read Mindy's post from 2012.


But it's 2015 now so I have a healthy twist.

First, I have to say that this recipe is SOSOSOSOSO amazingly good. I woke up wanting it for breakfast then next morning.

As Mindy showed us back then, traditionally bruschetta is served on sliced baguettes or crostini. And it's really really good that way. I even sneaked and had some of this on a baquette.

BUT

I've looking to lower my carbs though so I decided to try it on zucchini slices instead.

Mmmmmm  As my Italian grandma would say (if I had an Italian grandma) Tutto va bene! At least that's what the Italian grandmothers in books say.  Correct me if you know better. This Irish gal promises not to have hurt feelings.

On with the recipe.

Did you read Mindy's post or watch the video?

If not, the recipe is simple. You chop up tomatoes, red onion, basil and garlic and mix with olive oil and vinegar. Most people use balsamic but I had red wine vinegar and I liked that better.



Mix and let marinate.



Isn't it beautiful? Molto bene.

Now usually you're done there. You put it on the crostini and enjoy.

And oh, you will. It's amazing! Did I mention that?

But remember the zucchini? They're going to look a little like the eggplant Missy made last week.
I sliced them (two different ways to see which worked better), brushed with olive oil, and roasted briefly.



I also tried sprinkling them with cheese because in my world cheese makes everything taste better.


When they were done, I did two more variations. I spooned the cold tomato/basil/onion mix on top of the zucchini. Some I left cold and some I slid back under the broiler briefly. Confession: I liked the slightly broiled ones best but the others were awesome too.







Sorry, I was so quick to eat them, I didn't think to take a picture of them on the plate.


So, this teacher is on vacation, but you still get a mini science lesson.

Why should you eat the ingredients:

I love this site for health information about food. They put out a giant food preparation book that I have, but the website is great for quick info and healthy recipes. World's Healthiest Foods

Here are links for each of the ingredients if you're looking to feel good about your healthy bruschetta.








PS - eat them all at once. That idea of eating it the next day didn't work. They got soggy.


Happy Eating,

Cate

23 comments:

  1. LOL You can take the teacher out of the classroom for the summer but she's still a teacher at heart! I feel so much smarter already. I listened and watched and have been pronouncing it (notice I'm not trying to spell it ) wrong. Love the idea of using zucchini instead of bread...though I am partial to bread. Will definitely try this. It would make a great dish to take to a barbeque invite.

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  2. Kav, it would be great for that, just be sure to make plenty.

    I meant to mention in my post, the reason I tried this was because we recently attended a retirement party at a restaurant that served bruschetta as an appetizer. That meant we each got one slice! I wanted to ditch the entree and ask for an entire plate of bruschetta.

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  3. Warning:

    Apparently Blogger doesn't like me today. It already didn't post this blog that was scheduled to go live at midnight and now it just rejected my comments twice.

    Here's hoping for a better day and better luck for the rest of you.

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  4. And here I was wondering how I was going to go grain free before RWA. Now I know!!!!! I have heard folks doing the eggplant as pizza base but didn't think of this so thanks!

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    1. I hope you enjoy it, Julie. The savoriness of it cooled my sweet tooth for awhile.

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  5. Sounds amazing!! And guess what I liked best…permission to eat them all at once!! LOL

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    1. You have to, Missy! It's an order. :)

      Really, it might work if you kept the leftover tomato mix separate, but I had them assembled already. The zucchini went limp and the whole thing got mushy. I salvaged it my chopping and reheating but it was way better the first day.

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  6. Wow, I'm loving all these great ideas for simple treats with no carbs. I use zucchini in place of lots of things, ie. lasagna, spaghetti, etc. I'm laughing that you ate them before a photo. Sounds like something I would do. ha ha

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    1. They were very yummy, Sandra. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

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  7. This is a wonderful low/no carb treat! Our zucchini plants are still little, but when the squash cometh, I shall loadeth it with fresh bruschetta-type stuff, minus the red onion! I love veggie melanges, and I bet I'd be all over the slightly broiled ones, too.

    I love mine over-roasted, like slightly singed. I wonder how delicious that would be????

    Happy dancing at a thing of beauty!

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    1. Ruthy, I had a really hard time finding good zucchini for this. :( I'm sure our season will kick in soon though.

      I'm a big fan of the roast-til-you-char veggies too!

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    2. Aren't they so good????? We've had so much fun with asparagus when it wasn't being drowned in constant rain, and the clouds heading toward me right now are shouting "WARNING!!!!!" Aye, Caramba! But you should get some Jersey and PA veggies, soon! YAY!

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  8. What a great lunch idea! I'm putting these ingredients on my shopping list :)

    Zucchini is at a premium around here right now, though. Local gardeners have had their gardens hit by hail multiple times, catching the zucchini just when the squash are at the baby stage (pre-picking) and destroying the plants. Hopefully there will be enough time to replant and grow another crop.

    Meanwhile, we pay premium prices at the grocery store. I'm glad I have some grated zucchini in the freezer from last year!

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    1. Jan, I know you're saving that grated zucchini for bread, but I bet this would taste great over shredded zucchini noodles.

      Sad news about the weather ruining the plants though. I hope you have time (and good weather) for new ones.

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    2. Jan, we've seen that too. We replant about every 12-16 days so we have fresh plants coming into late September because they young plants give more tender squash.... so hopefully that will work by you, the next successive planting will be successful. Mmm... summer veggies!

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  10. In my world, cheese makes everything better! Lolol. That's me, too.
    This looks delicious. I'm so tired of campfire food. I thought being without internet (unless we drove into a town) would be hard but mostly I miss my kitchen. Drooling over this recipe!

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    1. How's the heat? I hope things have cooled down some so you can enjoy camping.

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  11. Wait. What??? Zucchini is at a premium there? Has this ever happened before? Crazy! We have jokes about leaving your car unlocked in the summer will get you a backseat full of zucchini and kittens!

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    1. And we've always joked that you can always tell a person with no friends - they buy zucchini at the grocery store.

      But here I am, buying zucchini at the store. Hmmm..

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    2. Zucchini and kittens!!!!!

      LAUGHING!

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  12. I've never heard that, Jan and Virginia, but then I live in the city so it's either the grocery or the farmer's market.

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