Fresh Herb-Tomato Crostini

Prep: 30 min., Bake: 10 min. Prepare tomato topping up to two days ahead; cover and store in the refrigerator. Toast bread slices one day ahead; store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Yield: Makes about 20 appetizer servings

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  olive oil
• 2  garlic cloves, pressed
• 1  (8.5-oz.) French bread baguette, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 3  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  pepper
• 1  large tomato, finely chopped
• 3/4  cup  finely chopped green onions
• 1/2  cup  chopped fresh parsley
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh mint
• 1/3  cup  crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together olive oil and garlic; brush on 1 side of each bread slice. Place bread slices, garlic sides up, on a baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly toasted.

2. Whisk together lemon juice and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Add tomato and next 3 ingredients; gently toss to coat.

3. Top each bread slice with tomato mixture (about 2 rounded teaspoonfuls each). Sprinkle with cheese.

Green Tomato-Fresh Herb Crostini: Substitute 1 finely chopped large green tomato for red tomato. Proceed with recipe as directed.

Fresh Herb-Tomato Tabbouleh Salad: Omit first 3 ingredients. Decrease feta cheese to 1/4 cup. Prepare tomato mixture as directed in Step 2; drain. Reserve seasoning packet from 1 (5.25-oz.) tabbouleh salad mix for another use. Pour tabbouleh mix into a large bowl; stir in 1 cup boiling water. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Stir in tomato mixture. Cover and chill 1 hour. Top with feta cheese, and season with salt to taste. Makes 6 servings. Prep: 10 min; Chill: 1 hr., 30 min.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Near East Taboule Mix Wheat Salad.

Per serving: Calories 93; Fat 6.1g (sat 1.6g, mono 3.9g, poly 0.5g); Protein 2.1g; Carb 8.7g; Fiber 2.4g; Chol 6mg; Iron 0.9mg; Sodium 243mg; Calc 53mg.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

82

Fat:

5.1g (sat 1g,mono 3.4g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:

1.6g

Carbohydrate:

7.4g

Fiber:

0.6g

Cholesterol:

2.2mg

Iron:

0.6mg

Sodium:

116mg

Calcium:

28mg