stuffed caprese bites {kitchenaid 7-quart stand mixer giveaway}
Hooray! After months of planning, I’m SO excited that the first week of our Tomato Love Recipe Exchange is finally here!!! For those of you who missed the introductory post, I will be co-hosting weekly tomato recipe exchanges over the next eight weeks in partnership with Cassie (Bake Your Day), IJM (and their program, “Recipe for Change“), and a host of some AMAZING sponsors. I seriously can’t stop smiling writing this — so excited to share in the tomato love with everyone!
Cassie and I are both so excited that our first sponsor is the amazing KitchenAid, who will be giving away a beautiful new 7-Quart Stand Mixer. I have a new silver one, and absolutely LOVE it. Or as Cheri might say on SNL, “I-love-it-I-love-it-I-love-it!!!!” :) In addition to being such a beautiful appliance in my kitchen, it is absolutely a pro at whipping up all sorts of goodness for baking. AND, I am happy to say that it has been my partner on my new year’s resolution — to conquer my fear of baking with yeast! Yep. For the second time this year (I know, I’ve been a bit of a procrastinator), I mustered up my courage and decided to try making my own homemade pizza dough for the first time.
By some miracle — thanks in part to that brilliant KitchenAid dough hook and a tasty recipe — I am pleased to announce SUCCESS!!! Not only did I make a completely successful and tasty batch of pizza dough, I used it to create these crazy-delicious little caprese bites, which were scrumptuous!! These little bites are similar to the pepperoni pizza bites I made a few years ago, but this time they are filled simply with a slice of mozzarella and a fresh basil leaf sandwiched inside of a cherry tomato. Super cute. And completely caprese-y delicious. A perfect little appetizer to serve to a crowd!
So now it’s time for you to share YOUR favorite tomato appetizers, and also enter to win a KitchenAid 7-Quart stand mixer of your own! Again, you do not need to have a blog to participate, although we are super-excited to have some of you bloggers link up as well. Scroll below to enter, and also take a moment to pop over to the Recipe For Change site to learn more about what you can do to support our tomato farmers in America. Look forward to a great summer full of #TomatoLove!
Your favorite caprese ingredients are "stuffed" into these yummy little bites!
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pizza dough, listed below (or you can substitute 1 can pizza dough, equivalent to 1 large pizza)
- 20-24 cherry or grape tomatoes
- 4 oz. mozzarella, shredded or cut into small squares as wide as your tomatoes
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
- 2/3 cup warm water
- half a packet of yeast (1.5 tsp. or 1/8th oz.)
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. Italian seasonings or dried oregano
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a pie plate with cooking spray.
If using canned pizza dough, use a pizza slicer to cut dough into 24 equal squares. If using homemade pizza dough, break off dough into about 24 walnut-sized pieces and then stretch each to become a 3-inch or so circle.
Make each of the bites by slicing a tomato in two lengthwise, and then sandwiching a piece of cheese and a torn piece of basil between the tomato halves. Then gently place the little tomato sandwich in the center of the pizza dough, and wrap the dough around it to make a ball. Pinch the ends together so that they are secure, then place each ball seam-side-down in the greased pie pan. Repeat with remaining ingredients until the pan is full. Brush the tops of the little dough balls with melted butter, then sprinkle with the dried oregano.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden. Remove and serve immediately.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the warm water and yeast.
Stir in the flour, salt and Italian seasonings and mix on medium high speed on your KitchenAid stand mixer for 5 minutes. While the mixer is going, drizzle in the olive oil.
When the dough is soft and elastic, take out of the bowl, rub with olive oil and then place back in the bowl, cover with a dish towel and let rise for one hour.
After the dough has doubled in size, remove the dough and either use it in a recipe or freeze it.
These would also be delicious dipped in a balsamic reduction, or a balsamic vinaigrette!
Pizza dough recipe is slightly adapted from Eat Live Run.
http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/stuffed-caprese-bites-kitchenaid-7-quart-stand-mixer-giveaway/
How To Participate In The “Tomato Love Recipe Exchange” Appetizers Week:
For a chance to win a KitchenAid 7-Quart Stand Mixer valued at $650.00:
- Write and post a recipe on your blog featuring tomato APPETIZERS.
- Include “”Come share in the tomato love at the Tomato Love Recipe Exchange, hosted by Gimme Some Oven & Bake Your Day, sponsored this week by KitchenAid. Also visit Recipe for Change to learn more about how to support tomato farmers.” in your blog post.
- No blog? Just leave your recipe in the comments section.
- Add your link to the widget on either Gimme Some Oven or Bake Your Day (we have the same widget code, so only add it on one site).
- Submit your post before Sunday July 15, 11:59pm CST.
- Anyone can participate in the link up, but the prizes will ship to US addresses only.
- More detailed info is available here.
This Week’s Prize: A KitchenAid 7-Quart Stand Mixer!
One lucky winner will receive an amazing prize this week — a KitchenAid 7-Quart Stand Mixer in the color of your choice (red, silver, white or black)! This is KitchenAid’s newest and best performing mixer. It is super deep, and can make things like 8.5 loaves of bread, 14 dozen cookies, or 8.5 lbs of mashed potatoes all at once! Cassie and I have absolutely loved using it to make baked goods and some stellar pizza crusts (like I used for this recipe). Be sure to check out KitchenAid on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to learn more!
Disclaimer: This giveaway is being sponsored by KitchenAid. I was provided a 7-quart stand mixer to review for this giveaway, as always, my opinions are 100% my own.
I have to admit that my favorite recipe likely isn’t new to most folks. It’s the simplicity of the ingredients that wows me and takes me back to it time and time again. Crusty bread. Flavorful olive oil. Fresh basil. And my favorite tomato: campari (and have to add that heirlooms are pretty tasty substitutes). Slice and assemble. Drizzle the oil and sprinkle with freshly cracked pepper and sea salt. And for a fuller flavor — get some of that super fresh, craft style, mozzerella or burrata if you can find it. So good.
Butter your favorite thick bread. Slice fresh tomatoes. Place on top of bread. Put your favorite sliced cheese on top. Put in oven under broil for a few minutes until golden.
I make a stuffed tomato with shredded rosemary chicken (or whatever you have left over from the night before), sauteed pepper or zucchini, sauteed yellow onions, spices on hand (depending on what was on the meat originally) such as garlic salt, cajun seasoning, chili powder for a nice kick, etc. Throw the chicken in the pan to slightly heat through. I’ll throw in some shredded Parmesan cheese and bake for approx. 5 minutes in the oven at 350 – you don’t want the tomato to get too soft. Top with cilantro and chives – dig in. It’s a wonderful fresh and light dinner or lunch.
I love simple and easy, this is my fav
Pisto Manchego
This simple dish, a sort-of pureed ratatouille, is served all over Spain on its own or accompanying meats, eggs, fish, bread (basically anything and everything).
Serves 4 to 6 as a tapa or side dish
4 ripe plum tomatoes
2 small Japanese eggplants
4 red bell peppers
About 2 tablespoons olive oil
Buy Here!
2 red onions, not peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Rub the tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers with the oil and put them on a baking sheet, along with the onions. Roast in a 375°F oven for about 45 minutes, or until very soft (the onions may take as long as an hour). Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the skin from the tomatoes and peel the onions. Cut the eggplants in half and scoop out the flesh. Roughly chop all the vegetables, then pass through a food mill into a bowl. Stir in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on pan tostado (toasted bread).
My daughter is going to love these little munchkins! We’ve been teaching her how to bake this Summer, and this is a perfect recipe for her to try out on her own. Thanks for this. :)
I made a wonderful Caprese type appetizer that I made for a party a couple of months ago that was a big hit.
1 pkg of Fresh Mozzarella Pearls
small can of sliced olives
Cherry tomatoes
Fresh Basil
Toothpicks
Olive Oil
Basalmic Vinegar
Cut cherry tomatoes in half
Cut Basil into strips
On a toothpick, place cherry tomato half, a basil strip, an olive ring and end with a Mozzarella pearl.
Place all toothpicks crossways on a long narrow serving dish.
Sprinkle with olive oil and basalmic vinegar
So simple, so delishious and they disappeared so quickly!
I pinned this on Pinterest…here is the link: http://pinterest.com/pin/102879172708452845/
My new favorite appetizer must is using wonton wrappers, so I’ve been trying everything in them! A few weeks ago for a party I concocted this:
Ingredients:
- 3-4 plum tomatoes – remove seeds and dice
- Fresh Mozzarella – chopped into same size pieces as the tomatoes
- Balsamic glaze or reduction (I made my own reduction but you can usually buy glaze)
- 12 wonton wrappers
- Fresh basil – you can leave these whole or chop them
How To:
- Chop the tomatoes, cheese, and basil before placing wontons in the oven and toss together in a bowl. Prepare balsamic reduction if needed.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375F. While oven is pre-heating grease a muffin pan and place a wonton wrapper in each cup of the muffin pan. Bake the wrappers for five minutes. You want them to crisp and turn slightly golden brown but watch the edges for burning!
- Take the muffin pan out of the oven and divide the tomato/cheese/basil filling equally among the cups and bake for another 5 minutes. Again, keep an eye on it so the edges of the wonton cups don’t burn.
- Drizzle or spoon the reduction/glaze over the wontons before serving!
- If it’s easier, you can also just make a bruschetta and fill the wonton cups with that since it’s basically the same ingredients.
Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes
16 cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp minced chive
1 large basil leaf, minced
1/4 tsp salt
Fresh, cracked pepper or fresh grated parmesan
Cut tops off of tomatoes, hollow out with a small knife. Mix ricotta, chives, basil and salt. Fill tomatoes, sprinkle with fresh, cracked pepper or fresh parmesan and bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted and warmed through.
STUFFED TOMATOES RECIPE
Ingredients:
4 firm tomatoes
Salt (to taste) (1/3 less sodium salt)
5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium vidalia sweet onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 lb of lean ground turkey meat
1 1/2 cup of cooked basmati or jasmice brown rice
1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or diced petite canned (if using can, drain of excess liquid first)
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
Fresh ground pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
Dash of Tabasco sauce (to taste)
Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and remove all of the inside and rinse well to remove all seeds.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 4 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Remove skillet from heat, add meat, rice, tomatoes, and oregano, and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well. (You may find it easier to put the ingredients at this point into a large bowl and mix together with your hands.)
Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil inside the tomatoes. Arrange the cut side of the tomatoes up in a baking dish, then stuff tomatoes with filling. Combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl, then spoon over filling. Place in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes (or longer, depending on how big the tomatoes are that you are stuffing), until the internal temperature of the stuffed tomatoes is 150-160°F.
Our favorite tomato appetizer comes in handy when tomatoes are ripening right and left and is super simple:
Ingredients:
1 fresh-picked, medium-sized tomato (any slicing variety), cleaned and sliced
Thin slices of fresh mozzarella
Fresh basil leaves (chopped, if desired)
Extra virgin olive oil (a high-quality, flavorful one; fruity or peppery flavors work especially well)
Balsamic vinegar (optional)
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Layer all ingredients. Let sit 5-10 minutes and serve.
Serves 1.
These look incredible! Cheese and carbs can never be wrong. I think I would have gone a bit overboard and poured garlic butter on the top. Mmm!
I left the Twitter + Instagram comment over at Cassie’s and wanted to leave my Pinterest comment over here just so that I could comment on your Capese bites. :)
I just Pinterest-ed the graphic!
Pinned on Pinterest
Here’s my tweet:
https://twitter.com/ohdearhusband/status/224252169145167872
And my Pin:
http://pinterest.com/pin/116812184055562566/
Sorry but my salsa recipe is a secret ;)
I love just simple caprese, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil. Sometimes drizzled with a balsamic reduction glaze!
Basil, fresh mozzerella and cherry tomato towers:
1 large leaf of basil, 1 small round ball of fresh mozzerella and 1 cherry tomato on top of each other to make a ‘tower.’ Then stick a toothpick through all of them to make it stand up straight. Lastly, drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over it. Make as many as you want for a tasty and quick appetizer!
This one is a total knock-off of Alice Waters’, but I’ve put my own spin on it:
Tomato Confit
Preheat oven to 350
Peel 6-8 Roma tomatoes, cut them in half and sprinkle with salt
Arrange in a baking dish so they fit snuggly (foil can help this if things aren’t fitting)
Scatter a few basil sprigs on top
Pour 1/4 to a 1/2 of olive oil on top
Bake for 40 minutes (depends on size of tomatoes)
They are done with they are slightly browned on top and tender, I like to mash it up with a fork but it’s not always necessary
I take this and spread it on a baguette. I confess sometimes I’m lazy and I don’t even bother with removing the skin, sometimes I even like to mix in chopped garlic so it roasts in the oven too. This recipe concentrates the tomato flavor, it’s delectable. Pair it with some good cheese and a glass of wine.
Tomato Soup
4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 small sliced onion
4 whole cloves
2 T. minched garlic
2 cups chicken broth
2 T. butter
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt or to taste
2 t. sugar or to taste
Pepper optional to taste
In a large pot, combine tomatoes, onion, cloves, garlic and chicken broth. Bring to boil, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and run mixture through a food mill into a large dish. In the pot, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour to make a roux, cooking until it is a lt./med. brown. Whisk in some of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Salt & pepper to taste.
Fresh Salsa
1 can drained yellow corn
1 can drained white corn
2 cans drained & rinsed black beans
1 can drained diced tomatoes
1 bunch chopped cilantro
1 small finely chopped red onion
1 seeded and chopped red bell pepper
1 T. minced garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1 avocado – peeled, pitted, and diced
2 T. olive oil or to taste
Stir everything together except lime juice & avocado. Once mixed well, gently mix in lime juice and avocado. Serve with tortilla chips. Yummy!
Tomato Bacon Bites
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup FRESH grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tablespoons fresh basil (minced)
16-oz. pkg. of cooked & crumbled bacon
salt & pepper to taste
Cut the top off cherry tomatoes and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Place each tomato upside down on paper towel to drain. Combine rest of ingredients in a bowl. Stuff each tomato with bacon mixture. Chill in fridge for at least 2 hours to blend flavors.
My Mom’s famous gazpacho
1 1/2 lbs of red ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 small green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups tomato juice
sald and pepper
for garni- chopped tomato, onion, cucumber and green pepper, croutons, homemade if possible
1 combine tomatoes, onion, cucumber, green pepper and garlic in blender of food processor. Process until well blended. Add vinegar and oil and process briefly
2. Transfer to bowl, stir in tomato juice and season to taste w/ s & p
3. refrigerate till ready to serve (important) & garnish
Yields 4-6 servings
Shared this giveaway and contest on Instagram and here’s the link: https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/223674714361565185
Pinned the graphic on Pinterest and invited others to participate, here’s the link to my pin:
http://pinterest.com/pin/53269208063245702/
What a fun way to enjoy more tomatoes! I share my Yuzu Shrimp and Halibut Ceviche and tweeted about this awesome contest. Here’s the link:
https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/223672063498522624
On Fridays, I share my favorite food finds in a series called Food Fetish Friday – and I love this post so I’m featuring it as part of today’s roundup (with a link-back and attribution). I hope you have no objections and I’m happy to be following along with your creations…
Your rolls look really tasty. But I hate bake when it is hot so…
Easy Cheesy Caprese Cups
Ingredients
Filo cups (from the frozen food section of your grocery store)
Mozzarella balls (small)
Cherry Tomatoes (I like the heirloom ones, but any kind you like works)
Parmesan Cheese
Basil (chopped)
Sea Salt
Pepper (fresh ground is better)
Olive Oil
You need 1 tomato and 1 mozzarella ball for 2 filo cups. So, for however many cups you wish to make divide that # by 2 and that is how many tomatoes and mozzarella balls you need to cut in half.
Toss halved tomatoes and mozzarella balls with chopped basil, sea salt, pepper, & olive oil. Don’t use too much olive oil, just enough to lightly coat the tomatoes and mozzarella. Then place a pinch of parmesan cheese in each filo cup top with 1 tomato half and 1 mozzarella ball half. Bake in the toaster oven at 400 until the mozzarella starts to melt. Serve warm.
One of the reasons I like to make this is because you can make as much or as little as you want. I make them in my toaster oven so I don’t heat the house up on a hot day. I have even made them on a pizza stone in my BBQ. You can prep everything ahead and heat as your guests start to arrive.
Shared on my facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/FiresCreations
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/grilled-stuffed-tomatoes-recipe/index.html
Two things I love in the summer time: grilling and fresh tomatoes. This recipe from the neely’s includes both! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/grilled-stuffed-tomatoes-recipe/index.html
I could eat these eeeveryday :) Sometimes I switch out the goat cheese for blue cheese, provolone, shredded gruyere, whatever I have on hand!
When company comes over I love to make little BLT bites.
Slice a thin baguette into about 1/2 inch slices until you have 12 pieces. Then spread a very thin coat of butter on one side and line them on to a lightly buttered baking sheet. Place the bread in a 350F oven until edges turn golden and the top is toasted (about 10 minutes). Fry up 4 slices of bacon in a skillet and cut each strip into thirds so they can fit on the toasts. Thinly slice tomato (I love heirloom) and rip small pieces of iceberg/romaine lettuce. On the cooled toasts, swipe a thin layer of cream cheese (I don’t like mayo, but you could substitute it here) season with a little salt and cracked pepper then layer a piece of lettuce, tomato (folded if needed), and a little piece of bacon. Yum!
In keeping with your caprese theme, here’s a yummy recipe for Tortellini Caprese Kebabs:
Ingredients
8oz Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortellini
1 pint grape tomatoes
16oz fresh marinated bocconcini mozzerella (bite sized mozzerella balls)
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
pesto (recipe follows)
Pesto
2 cups fresh basil (plucked from stem and rinsed)
2 cloves peeled garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Place the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until mixture is coarsely chopped. With food processor running, gradually add the olive oil and process until the pesto is smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour into serving bowl. Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously. Add the Barilla Tortellini and boil, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander.
Place the ingredients on the skewers. Start with tortellini, then tomato, tortellini, bocconcini. Repeat and end with one more tortellini. Drizzle the kebabs with a little extra virgin olive oil or oil from the bocconcini container and serve the kebabs with the pesto and PRESTO, Delicioso!
I’m sorry that I can’t remember where I found this recipe, would love to give them credit!
We just posted!
http://www.whitetablestyle.com/2012/07/recipe-fried-green-tomatoes-my-tomato.html
I love these appetizers!
Guacamole Tomato Boats
Ingredients:
2 medium tomatoes
8tbsp. guacamole
8 tbsp. salsa
4tbsp. grated cheddar cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. or turn broiler on High.
Wash and dry tomatoes
Slice tomatoes in half, cross section wise, and scoop out insides, eing careful not to puncture tear the bottom of the tomato half.
With open side tomato facing up, fill with guacamole, then salsa, and garnish with cheddar cheese.
Bake/Broil until cheese melts, the remove from oven.
Additional: Why not add some Tortilla chips to eat with it while your at it!
I love that these babies are stuffed! You could never guess just by looking at these so I’m sure it’d be a pleasant surprise when you bite in these babies!
Love the caprese bites, Ali! I was like you…a yeast-o-phobic! But it sure looks like you’ve conquered it! These are perfect little summer bites! : )
I love to make caprese salad – just fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and avocados drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette.
it’s finally tomato season! which means my diet consists mostly of BLTs and tomatoes eaten plain, right over the sink to catch the juice. we have a cherry tomato variety called sun gold that i used for mini BLTs as an appetizer last week. i toasted squares of thick-sliced multigrain bread, put on a dab of brown mustard and vegenaise, some micro greens, a lean piece of thick-cut turkey bacon, and half of a cherry tomato. they flew off the plate!
My absolute favorite tomato recipe is caprese salad made with homemade mozzarella! Layer slices of tomato and mozzarella, sprinkle with fresh basil (chiffonade), and drizzle with Olive Oil (my favorite lately is Vanilla and Fig Olive Oil from the Olive Oil Company in Temecula California!!!
I absolutely love caprese anything. My favorite is taking a slice of heirloom tomato on top of a piece of fresh mozzarella, add some basil and drizzle with olive oil. Mmmm….
Love caprese salad, trying this tonight!
Love caprese salad, trying this tonight!
These look amazing and making me so hungry! Even though I’ve just eaten. Oh dear, will have to make these really soon!
At our Fourth of July party, I made these Tomato, Watermelon, and Basil skewers which were a HUGE hit for the holiday since they’re all red. I popped in pieces of goat cheese so when I laid them out, they formed the stripes of the American flag (Blueberry pie with cookie-cutter stars completed it!).
The recipe is from foodnetwork.com at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/everyday-italian/tomato-watermelon-and-basil-skewers-recipe/index.html
Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 (4 to 5 pound) watermelon, cut into 32 (1 1/2-inch cubes
32 small basil leaves (or torn larger leaves)
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Special equipment: 16 (6-inch) skewers
Directions
Combine the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
Starting with the watermelon squares, push the watermelon to the very tip of the skewer. Then skewer a basil leaf, then a tomato half. Continue with another watermelon, basil leaf, and tomato half. Place the skewer on a serving platter so it stands upright, using the lowest watermelon square as a base. Continue with the remaining skewers.
Drizzle the skewers with the reserved balsamic syrup and the olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Serve.
ingredients…
a crusty baguette or other dense bread, sliced into appetizer-sized pieces
2 (or more!) large cloves garlic, cracked
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 small plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
20 fresh basil leaves, sliced into thin ribbons
coarse salt
directions
1. grill or toast the bread. some like the bread to have a nice char, but crispy is the key.
2. rub the bread with the cracked garlic to infuse it with flavor
3. chop the seeded tomatoes and place into a medium bowl. i prefer them fairly finely chopped, but use your own judgment.
4. toss in the basil ribbons and loosely combine
5. drizzle with olive oil, spinkle with coarse salt, and mix gently until well coated
6. spoon on to toasted bread slices, serve and enjoy!
Mediterranean Dip
Ingredients:
For the cilantro pesto:
1½ cups fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil, divided
2 tbsp. pecans
2 tbsp. pine nuts
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
To assemble the dip:
Hummus
Cilantro pesto (above)
Cucumber, seeded and diced
Red onion, diced
Banana peppers, chopped
Sliced olives (black or Kalamata)
Crumbled feta cheese
Oven-dried tomatoes
Directions:
Combine the cilantro, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, pecans, and pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor and pulse it until a coarse paste forms. Add the remaining olive oil in a steady stream and process until smooth. Stir in the Parmesan.
Spread a layer of hummus on a serving platter. Spread the cilantro pesto over the top of the hummus. Create layers of cucumber, red onion, banana peppers, olives, feta, and oven-dried tomatoes. Serve with pita chips.
(I use this recipe from Annie’s Eats…)
My favorite tomato appetizer is Caprese skewers. Alternate a small tomato variety like cherry tomatoes with small balls of fresh mozzarella and fresh basil on skewers. Optional: drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar or buy the mozzarella balls that are already marinating in olive oil and herbs. So yummy!
We love making tomato and basil pizzas with flatbread. We grab whole wheat flat bread, use tomato sauce as an easy base, cover with thin slices of tomato, a bunch of fresh basil leaves, and even some black olives. Sprinkle some mozzerella over the top and stick it in a 400 oven on the bottom rack (so the flatbread gets nice and crispy) about 8 minutes and you have perfect, quick, and healthy pizza! Yum!
My favorite appetizer is Double Tomato Bruschetta
3 – 6 tomatoes (depending on size)
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves garlic (I usually add more)
1/4 cup olive oil (or oil from the sun dried tomatoes)
2 – 3 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup basil,
salt and pepper to taste
Mix together – and let sit for at least 15 min
Place a spoonful on toasted slices of baguette, top with fresh mozzarella, broil until melted
I LOVE this idea for a blog event! It’s so perfect for summer and it’s also inspired by such a great cause!! I just linked up. :)
Also, these bites of caprese heaven – I’m in love.
Some of my favorite things, all rolled up into a bite!!
Fantastic and genius recipe idea! I hope to have something posted soon :)
I am LOVING the #tomatolove!!! I am so excited to be a part of it :) And your caprese bites are just perfect!
I love salsa with fresh tomatoes, especially during the summer :)
It’s simple and delicious!
14 oz. fresh, diced tomatoes
pinch of fresh cilantro
1/2 of jalapeno, diced (or whole if spicy is desired)
1/4 cup of diced onion
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. minced garlic
Put all ingredients into a blender and mix until desired consistency. I like mine slightly chunky, so I don’t blend for long.
ahhh fantastic giveaway!!! hope I win! :) btw, caprese = heavenly!
these are some gorgeous and creative rolls!! so proud of what you girls are doing :)
My favorite tomato appetizer is homemade pico de gallo! Just dice up some fresh tomatoes and an onion, add some chopped cilantro, salt and pepper, and a little hot sauce and/or jalapeno, and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before digging in. Delicious!
I already linked my Zesty Tomato Pie through Cassie’s Bake Your Day site, I just wanted to comment on your Caprese Bites and let you know I think they’re awesome!
Caprese salad is one of my absolute favorites, I love these bites!
Those bites are killing me!
I’ve been wanting to make stuffed rolls for ages! Beautiful photos.
My fav, though something I don’t make very often, is gazpacho. The first time I had it it was served to me by my university concert band director over the summer break. Its perfect for those super sweet heavenly fresh garden tomatoes on a hot summer day.
I like this recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/gazpacho-recipe/index.html
WOW! These look fantastic! Love bite-sized anything. What a great idea!! :)
I love to grill mini pizzas and top them with homemade sauce! To make the sauce, I roast tomatoes, mash and simmer them with parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. I set up a toppings bar so everyone can make their own pizzas!
I love these rolls! They’re like humble little dinner rolls with a tomatoey-cheesey secret. I love that. And I’m very excited about the Tomato Love awareness you are bringing, such a great cause.
I bruschetta! Especially when I have roasted garlic on hand to add to it. Roasted garlic, a couple of fresh tomatoes, some basil (or any other herb I have in the fridge), olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix together, toast up some french bread and top! Sometimes I get crazy and add cheese like ricotta or parmesan!
I just made 12pts of homemade tomato soup. Super simple and delcious!
25lbs of tomatos quartered, 6med onions, 8cloves of garlic, 1.5sticks of butter, and salt to taste. Saute onion and garlic in butter in a large stock pot, or 2 or 3 divided evenly. Once soft add tomatos, cook till soft. Run though a food mill to remove seeds and skins. Continue to cook till you reach your desired tomato soup consistancy. I canned my in pint jars with a tablespoon of lemon juice added to each for optimial acidity. I then processed my pints in a waterbath for 40mins. I plan to use them all winter warmed with milk added and plenty of ground pepper.
Great recipe and unbelievable picture!!
When I saw these I thought they were just yummy rolls. I got so much more excited when I found that they were stuffed with tomatoes and mozzarella! They look delicious!
Oh my lands!! These are to die for. I’ve GOT to try them. :)
I love to cover a veggie pizza with fresh cherry tomatoes.
Looks so yummy!
My favorite tomato recipe is a tomato cut in half, topped with homemade pesto and broiled until tender. So simple and delicious!
my favorite tomato bit of love:
grilled bread…rub with garlic clove,
chop up some fresh tomatoes, basil, avocado, a little olive oil, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. you can taste summer!
Love this recipe!!
This recipe looks AWESOME! Such a great idea…. I <3 anything Caprese!
Sooo excited for this!! :)
This looks way too cool! Fantastic photos.