Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

Mary McDonnell • Retired Cleveland Clinic Center for Specialized Women's Health Registered Nurse

Italian bruschetta is a wonderful way to capture the flavors of ripe summer tomatoes, fresh garden basil and garlic.

Ingredients

• 6 or 7 plum tomatoes or regular tomatoes (1½ lbs)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 baguettes

Preparation

1. In a bowl, add the chopped tomatoes (should be about 1/4 inch pieces).
2. Also add the minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and chopped basil leaves (1/4 inch pieces) to the bowl.
3. Stir the ingredients and cover (if not serving immediately, store the bowl in the refrigerator overnight).
4. Cut the baguette into 1/4 - 1/2 inch slices and place on a cookie sheet.
5. Place 1 teaspoon full of the bowl ingredients on each slice of baguette.
6. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, 3 cheese Mexican, feta or whatever kind of cheese you like on top of each baguette slice.
7. Bake at 450°F for 5-6 minutes.

Yields 16 servings (each baguette loaf cut into 8 slices)

Nutritional Analysis (per serving)

Nutritional analysis totals below are per 1/16 of recipe

• 116 calories
• 19 carbohydrates
• 3 grams protein
• 3 grams fat
• <1 gram fiber
• <1 gram cholesterol
• 197 grams sodium