Saturday, July 31, 2010

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta Topping - Fat Free





The basil is finally large enough to use, and use it we do.
I love the way my hands smell after I pull off some basil.

The tomatoes aren't ready yet, so these vine-ripened ones
will have to do.  I did get my first tomato off the vine the
other day but some ugly little red worm had gotten to it
first.  Does he (a female wouldn't do that to another
female, would they?)  know how I look forward to that
first tomato? 
In high school I would always have tomato sandwiches in
the early part of the school year.  I would put mayo on
some good bread and bring a fresh tomato and a knife
to school to slice my tomato at lunch so it wouldn't be
soggy.  That wouldn't happen today!  I'd be hauled into
the office for bringing a knife!


Today we are making a wonderful tomato and basil topping
for bruschetta, but we have found it works for so many
other wonderful things.
We were having a dinner party with my daughter's in-laws
when I saw her sister-in-law Lis grab the sugar container
at my place and start spooning it into the tomatoes.

I gasped! 

 She'd just mistaken the sugar for the salt and
obviously ruined the bruschetta topping. 

When I pointed out her error, she laughed and said she
knew it was sugar.  Then she proceeded not to add any
oil to the tomato and basil mix.

Mind you, I was really skeptical now.

To my surprise, this is a fabulous version that tastes
so sweet and so fresh and you don't miss the
other traditional ingredients at all and neither
does your waist line.


Lis's Tomato and Basil Bruschetta Topping

3 ripe tomatoes, finely diced
4 T. basil, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. sugar

Combine the above and let sit for about 30 minutes.
Serve over toasted garlic bread,
grilled chicken or steaks.

Tonight we are having it on bread and chicken.


Start by slicing some good, crusty European style bread.
Have your butter at room temperature.



Butter both sides of the bread and sprinkle with this
wonderful garlic and cheese mixture that you can
buy at Costco.  Be sure to sprinkle some on both sides.


I get out my griddle so I can get plenty done at once.




That was yummy!

I topped it with a little shaved parmesano reggiano.

Ok, so you had better double or even triple the tomatoes and
basil because with this size of bread and chicken too, it
is going to go really fast.


No oil, no parmesan, no pine nuts, even no garlic
 but there is NO WAY
you won't love this.

Hope your garden is doing well, and if not, the
basil at the store is great too. 

Give this simple recipe a try.



Thanks for stopping by

 Purple Chocolat Home

for another fresh dish.

I will be posting this on

and


Jacqueline
Jacqueline

Chocolat - French for Chocolate. I adored chocolate from a young age when I had to sneak in the cupboard to find where my mother had hidden the Nestle's Chocolate Chips. Having read about the famous chocolat shoppes in Paris, when I finally got there I was determined to try a chocolate from every Paris shoppe. I invite you to share my adventures in creating, in travel, and in life.

21 comments:

  1. My dad always sprinkled a little bit of sugar on his tomatoes, so that meant I did too! It cuts the acidity I think. One of my favorite raw tomato dishes has sugar in it. The bruschetta looks delightful- thanks for sharing!

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  2. Wow that looks delish! There's nothing better than garden-fresh. Especially tomatoes AND basil!

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  3. It looks delicious !! woww....i wish i could tate this....happy sunday....love Ria...

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  4. My basil is going crazy! Unfortunately, that's the ONLY thing that's going crazy! I might be able to eek out a few tomatoes to make bruschetta, gotta have it at least once!

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  5. Your photos are fantastic. I love bruschetta.... goes great with that afternoon glass of wine.

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  6. Tomato sandwiches are my summer fave. I love your photograph. My husband spoons sugar on his sliced tomatoes. I haven't tried it yet. Don't think I will!

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  7. Sounds like a delicious recipe! I will have to try it soon. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. Hi Jacqueline,

    I have just peruses about a thousand of your posts! What a great place you have here! I enjoyed your recipes, your decorating and your photos!

    Thanks so much for stopping by my place and leaving your comment!

    Kindly, ldh

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  9. That looks absolutely delicious! It would go so nicely with my glass of wine I am about to pour! LOL!! Your yard is beautiful! And what stunning views you have WOW! with that blue sky it looks absolutely amazing! Your blog is a new passion of mine it is so visually stunning to look at! You are truly talented! Hope the weekend is going great! Sherri : )

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  10. I LOVE fresh tomato sandwiches! My summer favorite and I can't get enough. I've never tried sugar on tomatoes...not sure that would be for me. Your dishes look delish ~ as usual! :-) Thanks so much for sharing.

    Hope you're having a great weekend!

    Pat

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  11. Hey!!!!!!! Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog, I saw some of your other comments on other blogs and I have to tell you, you are very thoughtful in what your write down! Have a lovely Sunday!

    Tracy

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  12. I'll have to give this a whirl with my brushetta instead of oil & balsamic~ my basil is thriving, thanks for the suggestion :-)

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  13. OMG, you can get Johnny's where you're at?! I grew up in Washington State, the home of the Johnny's that makes the stuff (the seasoning salt is the ONLY way to go. ;) ) Now that I'm in TX I can't buy any of it down here. I make my mom bring me a big Costco sized one when she visits. lol

    Autumn
    TheFickleHobbyist

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  14. This looks so good . . . . and I haven't made any in "forever"!

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  15. I would never have thought to use sugar. I'll have to give this a try. I LOVE fresh tomatoes. Thanks for sharing this idea. laurie

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  16. Oh, this looks so scrummy! And I like the wine idea with it too....Roll on dinner time!
    Shel

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  17. Hi, just popping over to thank you for stopping by my lemon cake post and leaving a comment. This bruschetta looks phenomenal, although I'm not sure I could get my Sicilian husband to agree to add sugar to the tomatoes!! Ciao, bella!

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  18. i couldn't resist drooling a little when i saw this...i made it for lunch and YUM!

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  19. Jacqueline -- my basil is going crazy, but not so much for my tomatoes! This looks yummy and I am waiting to be served all these yummy food you are cooking up on your blog! Joni

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  20. Delicious!! I already make tomato/basil bruscheta but that sounds like a great variant! I'll try it myself :)

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