I can’t take full credit for this recipe.  It came from Christine Ha’s cookbook, Recipes from My Home Kitchen. Christine won season 3 on the TV show Master Chef and she is blind.

In the book, Christine talks about backpacking through western Europe after she graduated college and how she couldn’t wait to visit Italy. She said that out of all the food she ate in Rome, a simple plate of bruschetta was her most memorable. She had no idea what it was at the time but ordered it because it was the cheapest item on the menu.

If you follow my blog, you already know my distaste for tomatoes despite the fact that I enjoy growing them.  BUT…I don’t mind raw tomatoes if they are mixed in something like salsa.  Christine’s recipe seemed like another good opportunity to put some homegrown tomatoes to good use.

Here’s your grocery list right from Christine’s book:

2 tomatoes, diced and strained (I used four small tomatoes from the garden.)
1/4 red onion, diced  (I used quite a bit more.)
6 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (I used a few more, also fresh from our garden.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 French baguette, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices
1/8 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, basil, salt, and pepper. Add the olive oil and vinegar. Toss to coat thoroughly and then set aside for 30 minutes.

Brush the butter on both sides of the bread slices and bake them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.  Spoon the tomato mixture on top of each slice and dust with Parmesan.

I forgot the Parmesan which is why you don’t see it in the picture but it was actually just as good without. Definitely a recipe I’ll be trying again and a great way to use up those end-of-summer tomatoes.

Each slice only has about 125 to 150 calories without the cheese and depending on what type of baguette you use. It has no cholesterol, is low in sugar, and high in Vitamin A and C.