Happy Friday all!  A few years ago I was honored to have one of my favorite bloggers and friends, Alice of Savory Sweet Life as a guest poster.  She created one of the most delicious Quick & Easy Peanut Vinaigrette dressings you will ever make.  For all those who cannot find Trader Joe’s Low-Fat Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette, give this recipe a whirl.  It might just be even better than the real deal.

Alice inspires me everyday ~ she is an amazing cook, photographer blogger and person.  Her pictures always make me hungry and it is for this reason alone, she is my featured recipe from the archives this week.

Be prepared to be tempted to make several of her recipes when you stop by her site, Savory Sweet Life.  And, if you cannot get enough of her recipes, she is coming out with her very own cookbook this June 2012.

Courtesy of Alice from Savory Sweet Life

When Danica from Danica’s Daily asked me to guest post on her blog while she was on vacation, I thought “Why not?” I like Danica a lot and she has been a loyal and supportive follower of Savory Sweet Life. Reading her adventures of healthy eating is inspiring not only to me, but I’m sure to everyone else who reads her blog. My only dilemma was trying to figure out what type of recipe to post about. Even though she did give me an “out” by saying I could write about anything, I really wanted to come up with something that wouldn’t make anyone fall off the bandwagon. Lets just say I am no stranger to sugar, white flour, butter, and heavy cream. So instead I created a really wonderful salad Thai inspired vinaigrette.

I tried very hard to make it healthy. I’m not sure how many Weight Watchers points the vinaigrette is, but my gut instinct still screams “it’s healthy!” So I’m going to just trust Danica to answer any questions about the nutritional break down.

I love Thai peanut sauce. In fact I have an awesome recipe for coconut peanut sauce on Savory Sweet Life but it wouldn’t work very well for salad. Not only that, I wanted to create a vinaigrette with ingredients easily found in a supermarket. What I present to you is a peanut vinaigrette worthy of any salad. This dressing is not only quick and easy, it is incredibly delicious.

* By using a hand blender (or blender) it can be made within a few minutes. If you don’t have a blender, don’t panic. You can just whisk everything together and microwave the peanut butter for 30 seconds to soften it up. But I will say, a hand blender is a cook’s best friend.

QUICK & EASY PEANUT VINAIGRETTE (print it!)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup of canola oil
• 2 Tbsp of sugar or splenda equivalent
• 4 Tbsp of creamy peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp of soy sauce (I used low-sodium)
• 1 tsp Sesame oil
• ¼ tsp Ground cumin
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• *For more heat, add ¼ tsp. Red pepper flakes
• *If you are a cilantro lover, add 3 Tbsp. Of cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

Add all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Using a hand blender, mix everything until well incorporated (approx. 30 seconds). If mixing by hand, whisk everything until fully incorporated. See notation above regarding microwaving peanut butter.

NOTE FROM DANICA ~ You can modify this recipe using 1/3 cup rice vinegar and only 2 Tbsp canola oil to reduce the points+ value by 1 (1 points+ per 1 Tbsp.)

Makes 1 cup, 16 servings, 2 points+ per Tablespoon

Nutritional information per Tablespoon calculated at caloriecount.com

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl….

Blend….

Toss with your favorite salad. Enjoy!

We are road tripping it tomorrow to enjoy our 80+ degrees of sunshine and I cannot wait.  Catch up with you all later this weekend.

Night all!

Happy Wednesday all!!!  I am currently slammed and still working at the moment.  But, do not worry, I still have something fantastic for you aside from today’s Fun T-Shirt pictures I took on vacation for this week’s Wordless Wednesday.  One of my favorite Blogging Friends who is one of the nicest people I know asked me to participate in her Second Annual 12 Days of Cookies.  If you haven’t had a chance yet, head on over to Eating Bird Food to check out all her cookie-licious-ness going on there.  You never know what you just may end up baking….

Oh and if you want the recipe for THESE 2 points+ Snickerdoodles, just click here!

Have you all ever wondered why they call these cookies Snicker Doodles? Why not Doodle Snicker or simply Cinnamon Sugar Cookies?! lol….These are the random thoughts that occur when you work into the late hours of the night

Tomorrow is another crazy day so I may or may not see you all with my daily or one of my favorite recipes from the archives…..either way have a fantastic day and just think only 2 more days til the weekend OR 10 days til Christmas!!

Night all!

It was clear after I lost almost 40 pounds that I needed to permanently change my eating and cooking habits.  I learned some easy ways to lighten up recipes, and I found I had a passion for cooking this way.  I share my recipe ideas on Tracy Cooks it Right.

It’s summer.  We have plums galore.  I’m yearning for something sweet and delicious but not too complicated (hmm. . . the story of my life).  In France, they have desserts called gratins that are simple to make and bring out the best in vegetables or fruits.  Last January I made this gratin with cauliflower.  Today, I am sharing Plum Gratin.  If your fruit surplus is something other than plums – maybe berries or peaches – you can certainly use it in this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 1 1/2 pounds plums, pitted and sliced (no need to peel)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup almond meal/flour (bought mine at Trader Joe’s)
• 2 teaspoons powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 400°F.  Spread butter on inside of 1-quart pie pan or gratin dish and sprinkle with flour to coat.  Place plum slices tightly in pan in several layers.

2.  In medium bowl, beat eggs and sugar with mixer on high speed for 4 minutes until light yellow and fluffy.  Whisk in the almond meal/flour then, pour evenly over plums.  Place in oven and bake 25 minutes, or until top is dark golden brown and firm.

3.  Cool gratin completely on wire rack.  Cut into wedges and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Makes 6 servings, 4 points+ each.

Thanks Tracy!  I have never thought of making a Gratin out of fruit, but, this looks so tasty I NEED to try it! We are officially back from having a FANTASTIC time in the Bahamas but maybe not back to reality .  So many great things to share ~ Recaps and more coming up soon!

When Danica sent me an email, asking if I could do a guest post for her…I was…well…really honored!  My next thought was…”what on earth will I write about?”  My blog is pretty much a cut and dry recipe/ ecookbook kind of deal.  That just didn’t seem to fit into the format she uses, and I thought it might just be too boring for you to read.  So I decided I would do a “daily” post…just like she does.  Let me tell you….wayyyyy more work than posting about one stinking recipe!  lol  So hats off to all of you beautiful bloggers that invite us into your daily lives ( and take pictures of everything that happens) !

Let me start off by introducing myself.  My name is Renee, and I have a blog called MyKitchenAdventures.  I have been a WW member now for over a year.  I have not reached my goal yet, but I have lost over 25 pounds and have the key chain and the charm to prove it!  I have had a few set backs with surgery and other life changing events…but I have never thrown in the towel.  I am on no particular time table.  I feel slow and steady is what wins the race.  I enjoy cooking and baking and finding and creating low calorie, healthier foods that TASTE GOOD!  I believe food that is good for you, should also taste good…it should stimulate your senses, and leave you feeling satisfied; not only in your body, but also in your soul.  Living the WW way of life is a lifestyle choice and one that I am proud to say I have made for the rest of my life!

And now on to a day in the life of a 40-something WW…..

My day started with a cup of coffee…..nothing fancy…in one of my favorite mugs.  Yes, I AM a proud mom of a Kent State University student!      I take it with just 2 TBS of fat free half and half.  And yes, I still measure it out!

I made myself a nice, filling breakfast and used this “new to me” fully cooked turkey bacon I found at the store last week in my eggbeater scramble.  I needed good fuel, because I had promised to take my boys school shopping at the mall.  We also had a trip to Costco planned for new eyeglasses for them both AND contact refills.  Yup, if I was going to give the old wallet a good workout and I needed some serious fuel! 

I was hungry when I got home…so I snacked on some shrimp and sauce while I prepared dinner ( 4 points+)

Dinner came together quickly.  We had the burgers with fixin’s and while the boys had their burgers on buns, I chose to have mine on a bed of lettuce to save on points+.  ( Costco also has the BEST shrimp cocktail platter!)

I also topped the burger with some tzatzki I bought from Costco ( 2 points+ for 2 TBS)  and a few slices of avocado ( 3 points+) making this entire meal with the grilled zucchini come in at 9 points+.

And that was my day.  I relaxed in the evening with my kids and hubby and dog and cat and had a WW string cheese for a snack later on….thus bringing my grand total for the day to 29 points+.  I will admit, some days are harder than other to hit that magical number…that is for sure!

I hope you enjoyed “seeing” into my day and if you see those chicken burgers, pick them up…they are awesome!

Thanks Renee!  I LOVE that you tackled posting a daily versus a recipe….it’s always fun to see how others work the program.

How about you?  Have you discovered any healthier convenience foods lately?

Hi, I’m Shannon from Shannonskitchencreations.com and Danica asked me to be one of her guest posters this week! I was thrilled to be able to share with you a little about me and my site. I am a SAHM of 3 small children and I have been working hard to get back that pre-baby body from 7 years ago. I am a weight watcher’s lifetime member, but I have never been able to get back to that “Golden” number! I started my site originally to just document some of my favorite sinful recipes, but after having my third baby in January I decided to add healthier recipes to my blog. I create down home comfort foods done in a lighter way. I love fried chicken, pizza and ice cream. So you will find lots of those recipes with weight watchers points. I have lost 40 lbs so far with 20 more to go! I also love to review and giveaway healthy foods. Up next is 5 bags of Food Should Taste Good Chips! I just recently started a second mommy fashion blog called whatshotmommy.com! Here I share video tutorials and bargains on how go from frumpy to fabulous! Check it out!

The recipe I chose to feature in this post is one that has been sitting in my recipe box for over a year. I get Food Network magazine and love tearing out recipes that sound and look delicious. I am a huge fan of Buffalo wings. I love the spicy kick mixed with the creaminess of the blue cheese dressing. However, in restaurants they are deep fried and very high in points!! So when I took out this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese I knew the nutritional info was going to be scary….IT WAS!!!!

Each serving had 868 calories, 48.2 grams of fat, 1465 mg of sodium, 79.6 grams of carbs, 3.9 grams of fiber and 28.9 grams of protein! 1 cup was 23 points + each!!! Ouch!!!

So I decided to modify the recipe with some healthy alternatives. I swapped out the half and half for 1 % milk, used low fat cheese and sour cream and opted for whole wheat pasta. I was able to shave a whopping 15 points off per serving, so 1 cup is only 8 points +!! This was spicy, creamy, cheesy and just down right awesome!!! Enjoy and make sure to visit and like me at Shannon’s Kitchen Creations on Facebook for new recipes and giveaways and at What’s Hot Mommy for all my makeup, skincare and fashion accessories ideas and giveaways!!!

Light Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

 Adapted from Food Network

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons butter
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound whole wheat elbow macaroni
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken, cooked
• 1 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot sauce (preferably Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce)
• 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 1/4  cups 1 % milk
• 1 1/2 cups reduced fat shredded cheese blend of cheddar, Monterey Jack and mozzarella
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1/4 cup light blue cheese dressing
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 7 baked tortilla chips crushed

INGREDIENTS

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.

2.  Meanwhile, melt 1 1/2  tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/4 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.

3.  Melt 1 1/2  tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the milk, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.

4.  Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.

6.  Top with blue cheese dressing, crushed tortilla chips, and parsley. Bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings, 8 points + each

Nutritional information, 1/6 of casserole – 8 points +

297 calories, 10.6 grams of fat, 94 mg of sodium, 32.3 grams of carbs, 1.2 grams fiber, 17 grams protein

Thanks Shannon for sharing your story, success and one recipe I already know we HAVE to try!  I LOVE the idea of putting crushed tortilla chips on top of my mac n cheese along with buffalo chicken ~ YUM!  Your recipes are fantastic and you are truly an inspiration!

Danica

Hi Danica’s Daily readers!  I’m Allie, a fashionable food enthusiast trying my best to eat healthy while enjoying all that there is to taste.  Or as I like to say, a fashionista gone hungry!  My blog started as a way to track my Weight Watchers journey and share what I ate every day.  Over time my blog evolved to include recipes, events and my dining experiences.  I have a love for food and all things foodie related and I love sharing with everyone!

Danica and I met at Blogher Food in Atlanta, Georgia and we hit it off immediately!  She is  a great friend and her blog is so amazing, so it is an honor to be writing this guest post.  Thanks Danica!!!

Today I’m going to share a recipe using Uncle Sam cereal, an Attune Foods product.  This recipe is not only tasty but WW friendly.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup Uncle Sam Original Cereal
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips
• cooking spray

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine honey and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave for 30 more.

2.  Combine wet ingredients with cereal and stir until coated. 

3.  Spray a small pan with cooking spray.  I used a bread pan so that I could make the bars into the right shape.  Put cereal mixture into pan and smooth and press it down so that it is solid and looks like one big bar.

4. Top with chocolate chips and press down so they stick in the cereal.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.  Cut into 4 pieces, and enjoy!

This recipe makes 4 bars, for 4 points + each

If you’d like, you can make this recipe larger or cut the bars into smaller pieces.

I love this recipe because the bars are sweet, crunchy, peanut buttery, and chocolately!  Not to mention there is flax in the cereal so that makes it healthy, right   I’m all about moderation and still enjoying the foods you love – like peanut butter and chocolate.  And when you can mix healthy ingredients with your favorite indulgences then even better!  A big thanks once again to Danica and all of you for reading! 

Thanks Allie for guest posting and for one delicious Weight Watchers Friendly Points+ Recipe.  I think you are just as awesome (and so is her site All I Eat Food!)  While you are there be sure to check out how both her and her boyfriend lost an amazing 120+ lbs together!

Hi all! It’s Mary from a little blog called What’s Cookin’ with Mary. I have been reading Danica’s blog for almost a year now and just love her. When she asked if I wanted to do a guest post while she was off having a blast in the Bahamas with Jay (Happy Birthday!!!), I jumped at the chance. So, today I want to talk to you about pizza. Who doesn’t love pizza ?! You know what I love more than pizza… Five ingredient recipes. After a long day, the last thing you want to do is try and locate a huge list of ingredients to make a complicated recipe for dinner. If that sounds like you, this recipe is right up your alley. Without further a due, may I present Pizza Margherita!

Pizza Margherita

Caprese salad is one of my very favorites. I love how the sweet summer tomatoes pair with the light, salty fresh mozzarella and the bright, pungent basil. Did you know that basil was originally from India (according to the wiki)?I didn’t either! That’s probably because it’s best known for being in Italian cooking. It’s a close relative to the mint plant, but had a more anise flavor (liquoricey– yep, it’s a word – I just made it up!). Can you tell I love basil? I digress. When you take those same ingredients you use to make a caprese salad and put it on a pizza, it transforms magically while in the oven into Pizza Margherita. Pretty fancy, right? Thought so. The best part about this pizza is that all you need is five simple ingredients. If you want to make your own pizza dough, feel free to, but I like to buy the premade dough from Trader Joe’s here to save time (to save even more time, you could buy a totally premade crust such as Boboli). Also, if your store doesn’t carry garlic oil, you can make your own in a snap. Just heat a quarter of a cup of olive oil to a pan over medium low heat and add two smashed cloves of garlic and cook for eight to ten minutes or until the garlic has browned a bit infusing it’s flavor into the oil. Remove the garlic cloves and allow oil to cool slightly and viola, garlic oil. If you’re feeling really, super fancy, you can make your pizza on the grill, but today I’m going to be using a pizza stone in the oven. If you don’t have a pizza stone, a baking sheet will work just fine. Enjoy with a generous squirt of sriracha and red pepper flakes.

What You Need:

• 1 – 16 oz ball of pizza dough (I used whole wheat)
• 8 oz fresh ovoline mozzarella packed in water, drained, dried & sliced into ¼” pieces
• 1 ½ large tomatoes, sliced into ¼“pieces & pressed between paper towels
• 2 – 3 Tbs basil chiffonade (thinly sliced – to taste)
• 2 Tbs garlic oil
• Salt and pepper (optional – to taste)
• cornmeal for pizza stone (if using)
• flour for dusting

What To Do:

Heat your pizza stone in a 425* oven for 15 – 20 minutes. This ensures that the crust will be nice and crisp on the outside, but doughy on the inside. For best result, take your dough ball out of the fridge while the pizza stone heats (about 20 minutes). Once your dough has come to temperature, roll it out on a well floured surface to about a 12” round.

Remove the hot pizza stone from the oven and sprinkle with cornmeal to prevent sticking.

Gently transfer your dough onto it and pierce with a fork all over to prevent bubbles while it bakes.

Bake the crust for about 10 minutes or until barely browned. Keep your eye on it as you don’t want it to overcook (you’ll be baking it again with toppings).

After the crust has prebaked, remove from the oven, brush with garlic oil and top with tomato and cheese slices. Season with salt and pepper if using. Bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until cheese has melted and the crust is nicely browned.

Remove pizza from oven and top with fresh basil chiffonade.

Serve with red pepper flakes and hot sauce.

Makes 8 slices, 6 points+ each

Bon Appetit!

Mary

**Cook’s Note: on the tomatoes: make sure you really get as much liquid as you can out of the tomatoes. If not, the liquid in them will make your pizza soggy. On the basil: if you don’t want to chiffonade, you could simply chop it up to whatever size you desire**

Thanks Mary!!! You are definitely a girl after my own heart….tomatoes, cheese, Sriracha and crushed red pepper flakes all in one….LOVE! 

Hi Danica’s Daily Readers ~ This is Zesty of Zesty Cook!  Danica asked if I could take over for the night so she could work on some last minute preparations for The Husband’s birthday festivities coming up this weekend.  I know she is super excited to share the details with you all and I am pretty sure you all will be blown away by them like I was.

I am always glad to help out so today I am sharing with you one of my quick &easy  Vegetarian Weight Watchers points+ friendly recipes that I created based on what I had on hand.

Who doesn’t LOVE pasta with freshly sautéed mushrooms, wine, butter and CHEESE that loaded with flavor (wine!) and cooks up in minutes?!

Feel free to get creative and use any vegetables you have on hand ~ they all work well in this dish….just make sure you include a little wine and cheese

MUSHROOM, ARUGULA & TOMATO FETTUCCINI

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz Whole Wheat Fettuccine
• 12 Mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp. Red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 12 Grape tomatoes
• 1/2 Cup white wine
• 1 Cup Arugula
• 2 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 tsp. Olive oil
• Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan; salt and add pasta.  Cook according to directions and drain.

2.  In a large pan, turn on medium heat and olive oil and half the butter.  Add mushrooms and begin to cook down – 4-5 minutes

3.  Season with salt and pepper, add red pepper flakes and cumin.  Cook another 3 minutes .

4,  Add tomatoes and cook for about 5 more minutes.

5.  With heat still on medium, toss in the white wine and cook down for 1 minute.  Add remaining pat of butter and stir.

6.  Toss in the arugula and let wilt for 2 minutes.

7.  Add cooked drained pasta and toss gently.  Shred Parmesan cheese before serving.

Zesty Tip: For the sauce, if you are finding it too dry, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water before draining down the sink.  This will bring a nice starchy salty flavor to the sauce and give it a nice balance.

Makes 6 servings, 7 points+ each (or 4 servings, 10 points+ each)

Be sure to check out Jen of Cooking for 8 & Losing Weight over at Friends For Weight Loss.  She posted one tasty looking 3 points+ Sloppy Joe Meal!

Q’s

When you are making a quick pasta toss like I did, what do you put in the dish?

I LOVE pasta in any way, shape or form and think it pairs well with just about anything I have in the fridge or pantry.  It usually involves fresh veggies, wine, cheese, a little olive oil and butter!

Thanks Zesty! ~ make sure you all stop by his site Zesty Cook ~ I guarantee the pictures of his recipe creations will make you drool!

  I will catch up with everyone tomorrow ~ so much super secret fun stuff going on over here!  You all will be in the “know” on Friday…..Gahhhhh, I can’t wait!

Night all!

Happy Friday all!  I am so excited to share this fun idea for a Halloween Appetizer or Main Dish ~ Slow Cooker Veggie Packed Chipotle Chili in a Pumpkin Bowl.  The only catch ~ It’s my Guest Post over at DANI SPIES!!!  Head over there now for the details and recipe…..

That is unless you are AFRAID OF GHOSTS!!!

I am taking one more day off to let my eyes recover so I will see you all tomorrow with the details on my Laski and another fun post!

Just TWO WEEKS from today to the Foodbuzz Festival – woohoo!!! If you are going let me know because I want to meet you!

Let the WEEKEND begin!!!

Happy Friday all!!! Today’s Guest Poster is Zesty Cook!!!  Zesty rocks because he is the person who designed my site, but, he also makes AMAZING food with pictures that will make you drool.  Be sure to stop by Zesty Consulting if you are interested in a little web design and Zesty Cook if you want to find something to make for dinner tonight.

************************************************************************************************

Hi to all the Danica Daily readers, I am zesty from zestycook.com and I am here to share a post with you while Danica is on vacation. I was debating on what to post for a couple of days now and I opted for this idea because it offers a lot of variety and will hopefully peak your interest. Ever just feel like eating appetizers for dinner? I have that urge every now and again. When you check out these assorted toasts – you may have the same feeling. This is the bread baby coming out of me as I could polish off a sheet pan of these during a TV commercial. For these toasts, I listed the ingredients and method for each of the three flavors. You will also see in the pictures that there was a 4th toast which was called Fig and Balsamic. This was a pre-made spread from the grocery store so I didn’t include it in the post. It was quite tasty nonetheless.

Roasted Onions

• 1 or 2 Onions ( sliced)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1Tbsp. butter
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Tsp Rosemary, thyme, oregano

Method

1. Slowly brown onions in butter and olive oil.
2. Season with salt and pepper as well as those herbs desired.
3. Dried and fresh herbs can be used but the more delicate herbs should be added near the end of the cooking time.
4. Total time will probably be over 30 minutes as this avoid the onions burning.
5. Little attention is required during this time.

Sauteed Mushrooms

• Mix of mushroom types sliced, Portabella and Shitake were used. Quantities depend on how much is desired.
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Method

• Brown in heated pan that has butter and oil added to melt.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook until mushrooms brown and reduce in size

  

Roasted Red Pepper and Cheese

• 2 Red Bell Pepper
• 5 Oz soft goat cheese
• 1 Tsp. minced shallot
• Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Roast peppers until skin is blackened and place in paper bag to steam. This will make peeling the skin easy.
2. The peppers can be roasted on grill, over a gas burner or through broiling.
3. Dice the peppers once cooled and peeled.
4. Mix with the remaining ingredients and allow flavors to blend.

   

   

Slice baguette to about 1/2 inch thick. Grill on one side, or drizzle olive oil over parchment paper lined pan and place toasts on the paper. Add toppings and again drizzle with olive oil and bake in 350 F oven.

The bottoms will toast and crust from the olive oil, and the parchment will prevent sticking. Thanks so much for reading and by all means if you have any questions or comments drop them here and I will check back. If you want to see more "zesty" feel free to drop over to my blog and have a poke around. Have a super weekend. Take care zesty