This post is the first in a series of quick meal ideas designed with tired new parents in mind. The goal is to get the dinner-wheels turning; substitute and modify as required based on what’s readily on-hand in the kitchen.
Bruschetta with Cheese
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients: bread, mayonnaise, fresh tomatoes (plum, grape, and cherry tomatoes are available year-round), cheese, fresh or dried basil, salt and pepper.
Directions:
1. Slice bread and cover with a thin layer of mayonnaise.
2. Top bread with sliced tomatoes and cheese. Place on baking tray.
3. Place oven rack on highest setting and broil bruschetta for 5-7 minutes until bubbly. Remove from broiler.
4. Top with torn basil leaves, or a light shake of dried basil (oregano is another good choice). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Serve with fruit–whatever you have on hand–grapes, canned mandarin oranges, apple slices or berries.
Avoiding Dairy? Use jarred, marinated artichokes atop the tomatoes instead of cheese. Broil for 3-5 minutes.
*Extra credit:*Â before putting on mayonnaise in step 1, rub bread with a cut clove of garlic. Proceed with steps 2-5.
Isn’t it great to think about quick pick-up meals like this that are tasty, filling and innovative ? Like busy new mommas, workers all over the world have been munching on on-the-run fare forever: tacos, enchiladas, pita pockets, egg rolls, pizzas, etc. – you name it: left over meat or cheese, a bit of a veggie, some seasoning, wrapped up in a little edible “package” and off they went
Bruschetta !!! Perfect !! Quick !! Delicious !!! Creative !! We can let our taste buds, our fridge and pantry, our hunger be our guide, ’cause we are a part of a very long tradition of grabbing sustenance and off to work we go.