Flavorful Bruschetta

Fresh tomatoes picked straight form the garden seem (to me) a summer staple. I grew up being able to walk into my father's garden, pick off a big, juicy tomato, slice it up, add it to some toast with a sprinkle of salt and a teaspoon of mayo. It was my favorite lunchtime sandwich.

Here's a great bruschetta recipe with lots of flavor that you could add to your salads, on top of some toasted baguette, or add to your wraps.  This tends to be my "go-to" dish for parties as it's healthy and everyone loves the fresh flavors.

Ingredients:
7 roma tomatoes
1/2 sweet onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
5-7 basil leaves, torn into small pieces
1 T dried parsley
1 T dried oregano
1 tsp salt
Dash of garlic powder
Some cracked pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (to taste)
Vegan Parmesean cheese (optional- I tend to add this for parties, but leave out when made for home)
1 baguette, sliced into 1/2" rounds

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 425.
2. Quarter your tomatoes and gut (scoop out all of the seeds and gooey stuff. All you want left is the meat).
3. Dice the tomato meat. I can't stress enough how much you need to do this by hand. I tried this once in the food processor and it made the batch extremely liquidy. It releases way too much of the juice in the meat of the tomato. If you dice by hand, while it takes some extra time, you end up with a much better end product.

Notice: NO GUTS!!!

4. Slice your baguette and bake for 3-5 minutes on each side. Keep a close watch. You don't want your rounds to end up hard as a brick.
5. Add the remainder of your ingredients to your tomatoes. Add as much oil as you'd like (some prefer more, some less. It'll end up being around 4 T.  Top off with your vegan cheese if you'd like.

6.  I typically like to let my bruschetta sit for at least an hour or more (overnight if you can) to allow the flavors to blend. It is not necessary as it tastes wonderful after it's just made!

7. Top your toasted baguette rounds with a little of your bruschetta and enjoy. Or simply use the bruschetta atop your salads or in your wraps as a great dressing alternative.

How to Eat Well at 4th of July Picnics

The most difficult times to consciously eat well is 1) when traveling and 2) when going to holiday picnics or parties.  Chips, hot dogs, & mayonnaise-filled potato salads make it hard to choose wisely.  Now, for those of us who get physically ill from eating unhealthy, cheating isn't too much of an option or you'll be paying for it for the rest of the week.  For those of you who don't mind cheating every few months I say, be careful & don't overdo it.  Since you eat well a majority of the time, your body isn't used to digesting some of the harsh foods.  Cheat, but in moderation.  While you may not have medical issues to worry about, your body still isn't used to the toxic nature of some of these foods. Be kind and don't gorge yourself.  As momof3 says: ~Savor the run cheat.~

Photo source: Lookiloos

Here are some foods to look out for or minor modifications you can make.  It's hard to be perfect at events like this, but knowing what you can do before you go can minimize the possible damage:

1. Fruit salad. Most parties include that big bowl of watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, strawberries, & bananas.  Load up!