Tag Archives: tomatoes

Pico de Gallo Bruschetta

July has been one hot month for us in the Northeast and now that the humidity has broken (at least temporarily), maybe I’ll actually start using my stove or oven again.  On really hot days, when you can’t get your thermostat to get any cooler than 80 degrees, sometimes you want to do as little moving around as possible.  On days like that, I have to find something light to eat and this Pico de Gallo Bruschetta seemed like a good bet.

Crusty baguette slices are toasted and lightly covered with cheese before being topped with fresh tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, basil and lime juice.  The result is a light and summery bite that seems perfect for a warm night.  Although you have to turn the oven on briefly to toast the bread, it’ll be worth it in the end but honestly, you could just scoop this cool tomato mixture right on untoasted bread.  Do whatever you feel like, just stay cool doing it!

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The ingredients:

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Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush baguette slices with olive oil, and place on a baking sheet. Bake 7 minutes or until light golden brown.

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Remove from oven; sprinkle evenly with cheese, and bake 1 minute or until cheese is melted.

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Combine tomatoes and remaining ingredients in a bowl; spoon mixture onto bread slices.

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Serve immediately.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions: 

  • Basil instead of cilantro

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source: Coastal Living Magazine

SoCal Guacamole Burger

Happy 4th! I hope everyone is relaxing and enjoying the day today whether you are somewhere near water, at a barbecue, or just hanging out at home. It seems only fitting to me that we all have burgers and dogs so I decided to make these SoCal Guacamole Burgers.

Basic burgers (which I made with 93% lean ground turkey) are topped with a creamy guacamole made with avocado, sour cream, mayonaisse, tomato, and jalapeño. Alfalfa sprouts add a fresh flavor and crunch and bring a healthy twist. Served with whole wheat buns, these burgers might be a little different than what you are used to but if you like guacamole, these should be right up your alley. No matter what kind of burger you are having today, enjoy the day and have a safe and Happy 4th of July!

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 The ingredients:

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  Preheat grill to medium-high heat.  Place half of avocado in a bowl; mash with a fork until almost smooth. Add sour cream, mayonaisse, lime juice and cumin to bowl; stir to combine. Dice remaining half of avocado.

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 Add diced avocado, tomato, jalapeño, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to bowl; stir gently to combine.

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 Divide meat into 4 equal portions. Gently shape each portion into a (1/2-inch-thick) patty. Press a nickel-sized indentation in center of each patty. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 3/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place burgers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Lightly coat cut sides of buns with cooking spray. Place buns, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 1 minute or until toasted.

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 Place 1/4 cup sprouts on bottom half of each bun; top each with 1 patty, about 3 tablespoons guacamole, and top half of bun.

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 Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Ground turkey
  • Broccoli sprouts

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Baby Potatoes with Tomato-Corn Sauté

Memorial Day weekend is finally here and even though it’s rainy here in the Northeast, I’ll happily take the extra day off to chill out, relax and widdle away the stresses of working life.  While I don’t have any real plans for the weekend, hopefully some of you are getting out there and enjoying yourselves, either at the beach, the park, the lake or wherever it is that you love to go most.  We’re entering the season of grilling and cookouts so for the unofficial start of summer I’m giving you Baby Potatoes with Tomato-Corn Sauté.

Baby potatoes are mixed with olive oil, corn, grape tomatoes and garlic to give you a simple sort-of potato salad that travels well and can be eaten hot or cold.  No mayonnaise means no worrying about taking this dish to an outdoor event and with summer corn and bright tomatoes, what a better dish to kick off the summer.  Topped with fresh cilantro and salty parmesan cheese, these potatoes get the slightest kick from red pepper flake and will be a great addition to any get-together you might be attending this weekend.  Get out, enjoy the weather and have yourselves a fantastic weekend!

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The ingredients:

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Place potatoes in a medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until tender; drain.

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Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add corn, garlic, salt and red pepper flake to pan; sauté 2 minutes.

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Add potatoes and tomatoes to pan; cook 1 minute.

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Top with cilantro and cheese.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Crushed garlic

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light magazine