Smokey Spiced Summer Bruschetta

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

Smoked serrano pepper. Learn it, live it, love it. This thing is amazing. It is the perfect amount of spice (for me, at least…which may be spicy to some), and a seriously lovely smokey flavor that shines through, even when I only used one pepper.

As a recap, I am participating in a Chilly Chile contest through Marx Foods, hence the plethora of pepper recipes. My favorite summer potluck dish of all time is a bruschetta recipe I have adapted over the years from the Junior League of Clearwater – Dunedin’s cookbook, From Grouper to Grits. The second I was told I needed to develop a cold recipe, I knew I needed to make yet another adaptation to this old favorite recipe.

I was planning on using the pequin pepper again, but when I took a sniff of the smoked serrano, I knew that would be the perfect pepper to punctuate this plate. Man, was I right (insert pat on back)! The smokiness of this pepper cannot be explained through a blog post. You have to try it. And mixed with the summery sweetness and tang of the bruschetta, it was a perfect palate pleaser!

Just a little warning though, you want to let your diners know that this is a spicy dish. It  packs quite a bit of a bite!

Smokey Spiced Bruschetta Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz Yellow Grape Tomatoes chopped (or your favorite tomato variety)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 – 2 large garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 1/8 vidalia onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 smoked serrano pepper (rehydrated and chopped finely)
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Place chopped tomatoes in a strainer and sprinkle with salt
  • Let stand over the sink or a bowl for 2 hours to extract the excess water in the tomatoes
  • Place tomatoes, garlic, serrano,  onion and basil in a bowl
  • Add sugar, oil and vinegar
  • Stir well
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour, up to overnight
  • Traditional bruschetta is served over thin slices of french bread, brushed with olive oil and baked until crispy. However, it is also good on  top of chicken, on salads, on pretzel crisps, or any way you can conjure up!

Disclaimer: I received the chiles for this recipe free of charge as a part of the Fire on Ice Chile Recipe Contest by Marx Foods.

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Healthy Snack Wednesday!

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

Don’t forget to
read to the bottom of this post for a great contest from http://eatliveblog.com/2011/01/05/healthy-snack-wednesday-recipe-bean-bruschetta-salad/”>Pretzel
Crisps and Tribe Hummus! For our 2nd week of “Healthy
Snack Wednesday”, Lara and I decided
our highlighted ingredient would be oatmeal. When you think
healthy, oatmeal is one of the first things to come into mind,
right? Unfortunately my creativity when it comes to this ingredient
is less than enlightened. All I could think of was cookies or
granola. Since Lara has plans to make granola soon, I took the
cookie route. After talking over oatmeal recipes with the great
nutrition team over at BU’s Sargent
College, and consulting the internet for some
inspiration, I finally found a TRULY healthy recipe.
This one did not include butter, it did not include shortening, and
it did not include 2 pounds of sugar. It was the perfect starter
recipe for me to play with, and utilize the Quaker Bran I had
picked up at the market. So how does an
ultra healthy cookie taste? Well, it tastes healthy! If you are
expecting this cookie to become your new favorite, or to replace
brownies all together, you might want to adjust your expectations.
BUT, if you are looking for something to cure that mid-afternoon
sugar fix, or to add some extra fiber and protein into your day in
an enjoyable way, than this is the perfect recipe for you!

Recipe: Wicked Healthy
Oatmeal & Craisin Cookies

(Adjusted from Cooks.com recipe “Low
Fat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies”)

Ingredients:

  • 1/8 cup vegetable oil
  • 1.5
    cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 3 egg
    whites
  • 2 tbsp skim or 1% milk
  • 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1 3/4 cup
    flour
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2
    tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
  • 1/4 cup
    unprocessed bran
  • 1 cup Craisins

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment
    paper.
  • In a large bowl, mix together brown
    sugar and oil
  • Add egg whites and mix
    well
  • Add milk & yogurt and mix
    well
  • In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt,
    baking soda and cinnamon
  • Mix the dry mixture
    into the wet mixture
  • Once well mixed, fold in
    oats, bran and craisins
  • Use a spoon to scoop
    cookie sized balls of dough onto cookie sheet
  • Use the back of the spoon to flatten dough.
  • NOTE- The shape of the cookie on the sheet will remain
    the same, these will NOT flatten or spread during
    baking.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, or until the
    bottom of the cookie is lightly brown.
  • Cool on
    baking sheet for 2 minutes then remove to tray to cool.

And
now a contest…

Pretzel Crisps and
Tribe
Hummus have been amazing supporters of my blog, as well
as of our work’s Biggest Loser type contest! Continuing that
support, they have joined forces to bring you a Healthy Snack
Wednesday give away!

Visit both of these great snacks’
websites, and comment on my blog on which flavor Pretzel Crisps and
which flavor Tribe Origins Hummus you would like to try (My personal faves
are Buffalo Pretzel Crisps, and Horseradish Hummus). This should be
one comment and counts as one entry. For a second entry, become a
fan of Pretzel
Crisps and Tribe Hummus on
Facebook, and leave me a comment saying you did so. For a third and
final entry, subscribe to my blog and leave another comment saying
you did so.

Winners
will be chosen at random using http://www.random.org. One winner will win
a case (12 packs) of Pretzel Crisps in the flavor(s) of their
choice. 3 additional winners will win 2 vouchers for their choice
of Tribe Origins Hummus. Winners will be announced on www.eatliveblog.com
on Monday, January 17, 2011.

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Healthy Snack Wednesday – Recipe: Bean Bruschetta Salad

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Renee {Eat.Live.Blog.}

It’s the New Year…just in case no one had told you yet! I don’t necessarily believe in New Year’s resolutions, but I do believe in recommitting to my healthy lifestyle…from which I have been missing in action since about October. This commitment means eating healthier foods, stopping eating when I am full (a novel concept), and actually getting out of bed and to the gym when my alarm goes off at 5:10 am.

Lara & I in the "healthier" summer months!

My quest to find the healthier me has been helped by the “Biggest Loser” type challenge going on at my work for the next two months…complete with a cash prize! Now, I realize I only have a maximum of 8 lbs to lose, so my chances of winning are pretty slim. But that is okay, because my main goal is to be healthy, and it is somehow easier with a group of co-workers beside you.

Plus, Lara and I are the official “Healthy Snack Bloggers” for the challenge! This means that every Wednesday we will both bring you a healthy snack recipe to try. We decided that we would theme our snacks each week, and this week would be “white beans”. I tweeted about our challenge on Monday, and the amazing Jackie of Pretzel Crisps replied, and arranged to bring Lara and I some delicious, all natural, healthy, Pretzel Crisps! She even included some Tribe Hummus, doing her research and knowing my favorite is the horseradish!

Well, inspired by white beans and Pretzel Crisps, I came up with a refreshing and fresh Bean Bruschetta Salad. It can be eaten on  its own, or served on top of a Pretzel Crisp, which also makes a beautiful presentation. This salad is ULTRA healthy, so eat up, enjoy, and get out there and be the best you that you can be!

Note- As with all my recipes, I would love to inspire your creativity to change it up, add a vegetable you love or haven’t tried yet. Change the type of beans listed, go crazy! What’s the worst that could happen…

What is your go-to afternoon snack? What ingredient would you like to see us highlight next week on Healthy Snack Wednesday?

Recipe: Bean Bruschetta Salad

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz White Beans – drained & rinsed (soaked and par-boiled or canned)
  • 16 oz Black Beans – drained & rinsed (soaked and par-boiled or canned)
  • 1 small orange pepper -  diced
  • 1 small green pepper – diced
  • 1 stick of celery – diced
  • 2 large limes (room temperature)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno – seeded and quartered
  • 2 cloves of garlic – chopped
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • salt & pepper

Directions:

  • In a bowl, layer the beans, celery, orange & green peppers
  • In a food processor or blender, combine the juice of the 2 limes, olive oil, cilantro, jalapeno and garlic.
  • Blend for 15 seconds
  • Add vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper – adjusting these ingredients to taste
  • Blend for 30 more seconds until well blended
  • Pour dressing over the salad mixture and mix well
  • Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour, but is best over night
  • Enjoy out of the container, or scoop a teaspoon full on top of a Pretzel Crisp!

Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments »

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