I don’t know what it is about Trader Joes, but it’s one of the only grocery stores I don’t dread going to.Their products make me want to go home and create so many cool recipes, I could go on and on.I only had about 20 minutes to shop before I had to pick my oldest up from school, but I came home with plenty of stuff.First up was this bruschetta.The bread display at the front of the store caught my attention as I walked in.I saw this beautiful baguette that said it was whole grain.Sold!I strolled through the produce area and picked up garlic, basil and Roma tomatoes.
As I was picking out my produce, my youngest apparently was trying to get out of the cart and a sweet old woman said to him, “Oh, sit down honey or you’ll fall out.” You would have thought she tried to steal his snacks, he immediately burst out in tears, totally offended. He’s going through a sensitive phase in life. The old woman looked back and said, “Oh, I ruined his whole morning!” The drama!
I was so excited to go home and make bruschetta for lunch. It was fresh, delicious and guilt free, you can’t beat that combo! The roasted garlic is totally worth the time. I know it’s an extra step, but just throw the whole bulb of garlic in foil, toss it in the oven for an hour at 375 and it’s done.
I got a bunch of other stuff that I’ll be whipping up this week and will post it soon. Thanks to the person who told me about the frozen brown rice from Trader’s. I am ecstatic, 3 minutes in the microwave and out comes brown rice. What a great invention. The workers couldn’t believe it wasn’t sold out again, they said it’s next to impossible to get your hands on it. To those of you who don’t have a Trader Joes, sorry I talk about it all the time! Just find similar products at your grocery store, Enjoy everyone!
Whole Grain Garlic Roasted Bruschetta
1 loaf whole grain baguette
4 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
8 large fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled then thinly sliced
3 cloves roasted garlic, smashed (Place bulb of garlic in lightly wrapped tin foil, bake in oven at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes, peel and ready to use)
2 pinches coarse salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice baguette in ½ inch slices and place on baking sheet or tin foil. Brush lightly with good extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 5-6 minutes until lightly toasted.
2. Place tomatoes, basil leaves, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil into a large bowl and mix well, making sure garlic is well incorporated.
3. Place heaping Tablespoonfuls of tomato mixture over each toasted baguette slice and serve!