Healthy Bruschetta

I was planning on making this tomato tart for Jamie last night, but wanted to use even more of our tomatoes as a little hors d'oeuvres. We've been making a lot of pico de gayo, so I wanted something similar but maybe more Mediterranean. I love tomato bruschetta, but didn't want the bread since we were going to have the tart. Solution? Endive! It was so tasty and fresh, and much healthier - though I do love those crunchy crostini, too... Definitely worth a try for a lighter hors d'oeuvres or snack. (And you can always swap in the crostini if you miss it!)

Ingredients:

2-3 large, ripe tomatoes (or a mix of 2 bigger tomatoes and a few colorful cherry tomatoes), seeded and diced

1 garlic clove, passed through a garlic press

1 large handful of basil leaves, chopped

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

black pepper to taste

endive

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients (except endive) in a bowl and let it sit for at least an hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Tear the leaves of the endive individually and fill each with a scoop of the tomato mixture. Done! (If you're serving at a party, maybe put some lentils or something on the plate to hold them up - they can tip a little.)

Easy Spring Bruschetta

Tomatoes aren't great yet in the spring, so bruschetta isn't always terribly appetizing. The trick to dodging mealy tomatoes is just using grape tomatoes. They're always firm and flavorful. For this bruschetta, I used the garlic scapes I accidentally pulled out last week and they gave a great fresh garlic flavor to the mix. We also forgot to buy a baguette, so we just used regular sliced bread toasted with olive oil and salt - surprisingly delicious and less messy to eat!

Just cut the grape tomatoes into little pieces, mince the scape (or garlic) and toss with salt and olive oil to taste. The secret it letting it sit a while to let the flavors mingle. Then spread some bread with olive oil and salt and put under the broiler. I tip I learned somewhere along the way is rubbing the toasts with a clove of garlic. It gives them an extra hit of it. Then top it with the tomato mix. Yum! (And feel free to change it around or add mozzarella or basil or anything - it's not a science.)

Bourgeois Pig

I met up with my friend Lara last night for dinner and we went to Bourgeois Pig. I'd walked by it several times and always wanted to try it. It was very cute! And Wednesday is a great night to go because they have $6 mussels all night! It's really Gothic in there (decor-wise) and eclectic with lots of reds and blacks and velvets and mismatched chairs, but super cute and fun. We got a champagne punch bowl, which I loved! So perfect for dinner with girls, or later at night for a romantic date dinner. It's fun to ladle your own punch into the little glass mugs they give you.