Mushroom and Tomato Crostini

Hello

This quick and easy recipe is a budget friendly DIY hostess’ (or host’s) dream. These are based off of the Italian appetizer,  Crostini which is grilled bread topped with anything from cheese to vegetables.  I also considered calling them crosata , not so much because they resemble the open faced shallow tarts that go by that name but rather because I thought the word sounded cooler than crostini.

I used pita bread in this recipe from the same batch I used to make the recipe in my previous post : banana peanut butter pita. I love pita bread because it is affordable,  healthy compared to many other breads and extremely versitile.

The toppings I selected were tomatoes and mushrooms because I had them in the fridge and they happen to be some of my favorite foods.  ( hence why I had them in the fridge) Of course you add whatever topping you like.

Let us begin. 

WHAT YOU NEED (makes 6)

1) Pita bread-I got six 7cm (2.6 inch) diameter circular pieces out of 2 of the pitas.

2) Circular cookie cutter- you can attempt to cut them fee hand or use the entire pita then slice it into quarters.

3) 1 med-large Ripe tomato 

4) 3 med sized button mushrooms -you can also use canned mushrooms as they tend to be cheaper. 

5) Extra virgin olive oil 

6) Black pepper, cilantro and any other seasonings you like.

The main ingredients 

WHAT TO DO 

1) Cut the circles out from the  pita .

Cutting out circles

2) Smear on the olive oil onto the circles- this will allow the pita to get crispy.

Pita circles

3) Slice the tomatoes and  mushrooms. 

Sliced tomatoes 

Sliced mushrooms 

4) Arrange the tomatoes and mushrooms onto the pita circles and sprinkle any seasonings over the top.

Cilantro over tomato and black pepper over mushrooms 

Arranged and ready 

5) Bake at a medium heat utility the edges are crispy.

These little morsels are delicious,  the crunch of the pita a great contrast to the succulent mushrooms and tomatoes. The entire process from start to finish takes well under 1 hour and this is a super easy pain free recipe youcan throw together as an appetizer for guests or do what I did and eat them as snacks for the next couple of days. 

Enjoy and have an awesome day!

Sunny Summer Sweet Salad Pizza

Hello and happy Sunday

It’s proper summer right now meaning days are hotter than ever . The thought of summer time always evokes pinterest worthy visions in my mind…. fresh bright fun food, eaten by a poolside or hanging out on your deck, firepit on, citronella candles ablaze, everyone relaxed and laughing….ah yes, summer. 

Well this isn’t my reality, I live in a small apartment with a smaller balcony, no deck or firepit and I’m never relaxed. But I do have a citronella candle so I get one pinterest point there.

Anyhow, while perusing pinterest a few days ago looking for some meal inspiration I came across a delicious looking salad which in addition to the regular greens contained strawberries and was topped with balsamic vinegar. I am a super fan of mixing different tastes together e.g. sweet and salty and this made me excited. I decided to make this into a pizza because I always associate pizza with summer. This recipe takes a fresh summer salad and tosses it onto a crust.

Let us begin…

This salad pizza is made using watercress, strawberries and blue cheese as the main ingredients but really your imagination is your only limit to the toppings you use. You can use kale, arugula, add almonds or walnuts, swap the strawberries with blueberries etc.

WHAT YOU NEED 

1) Pita bread- I chose this for my crust because I think it adds to the overall aesthetic of the pizza, also pita bread is typically much cheaper than premade pizza crust and way less work than making your own. The ones I got are small and whole wheat .

Pile of pita bread

2) Watercress (rocket lettuce) 

3) Blue cheese crumbles

4) Fresh strawberries -the quintessential summer fruit

5) Greek yogurt

6) Honey

7) Extra virgin olive oil

8) Mint leaves

Strawberries,  blue cheese crumbles, watercress, Greek yogurt and mint leaves.

WHAT TO DO

1) Coat the pita bread with olive oil making sure to get the edges, this makes it crisp up nicely without getting burnt.

2) Place the watercress on top of the oiled up pita.

Watercress on top of pita

3) Add sliced strawberries (I used one medium sized one)

Sliced strawberries added

4) Sprinkle blue cheese on .

Sprinkled on blue cheese crumbles

5) Bake on oven until the cheese has melted and the pita looks browned.

6) Add Greek yogurt in small dollops over pizza.

7)Tear the mint leaves and add on top. ( I also put on a few more pieces of watercress and strawberry slices for a combination of textures.)

8) Drizzle honey across the top of the pizza.

Yogurt and honey added on top

So if I make something and post about it, it’s expected that I say it tastes “Oh so good!” . But, let me tell you. This. Tastes. Soooo. Good. The truth is that I was winging it most of the time. I didn’t know how these things would work out all mixed together. However,  it worked. It worked well. The strawberries are tart, the yogurt adds creamy surprising texture, the blue cheese pops and the mint is refreshing.  All of that on the background of the crispy pita and watercress made this delightful. This is a great as an appetizer or personal pizza.

I hope you try this and enjoy it. Have an awesome day!