CLASSIC ITALIAN BRUSCHETTA RECIPE

A classic Italian Bruschetta Recipe with Cheese

Italian cuisine has always been one of my favorites. When I was little my mom took my brother and I to Italy for the summer and we stayed in this villa outside the small medieval town of Montalcino, smack in the middle of Tuscan wine country. The villa was owned by a winemaker and farmer and was situated on the edge of his vast property. I remember running through the rows of grapevines, chasing sheep, and stomping buckets of grapes for fun. A child's dream playground and also the place I was first introduced to Italian cuisine (at least as far back as I can actually recall) and believe me it was love at first taste!

Bruschetta is a typical antipasto that comes before your meal and opens up your stomach for the usual large plant of pasta to follow. I am a huge fan of a classic tomato bruschetta and making it at home quite often. Not only is a classic bruschetta actually quite easy and straightforward to make but it also takes no time at all. If you are looking for an easy authentic Italian bruschetta recipe to make for your next meal, check out my bruschetta recipe below!

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 3-4 as an appetizer

1/4 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2-3 Cloves of Garlic (if you like garlic put more... obviously) - minced
3 Tomatoes (I use vine tomatoes) - remove seeds and chop into pinkie nail size bits
1/3 Cup of Chopped Fresh Basil Leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
French Baguette - Cut into pieces
Parmasan Cheese - optional garnish

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CRAVING ITALIAN FOOD? CHECK OUT THESE OTHER DELICIOUS ITALIAN RECIPES!

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HOW TO MAKE AN AUTHENTIC ITALIAN BRUSCHETTA!

In a small skillet, heat up extra virgin olive oil on medium - low heat. When ready, add in the garlic and allow to cook until aromatic and translucent (about 2-3 minutes). Remove from heat.

In a bowl, add your garlic and olive oil, chopped tomatoes, and basil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

An authentic Italian bruschetta with cheese

Cut the baguette into 1/2 inch slices and brush with olive oil on one side. Place them on a baking sheet, olive oil side up, and broil them in the oven until they start to brown (like toast). Once out of the oven dress the baguette with the bruschetta ingredients in the bowl.

Garnish with some more chopped fresh basil or parmesan cheese if you like and it is ready to serve!

An authentic Italian bruschetta with cheese

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE BRUSCHETTA

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I hope you enjoyed this easy Italian bruschetta recipe. If you did please tell me about your experience in the comments below. If you want me to try something else I am always up for suggestions!!!!

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PENNE ALLA VODKA - AN AUTHENTIC VODKA SAUCE RECIPE

This authentic vodka sauce recipe is one of my all-time favorite pasta dishes and one of my most frequently asked for. People just love it, especially in the winter when the warmth and spiciness of this dish balance out the weather outside. Jam-packed full of carbs and comfort this dish definitely gives you the energy your body needs to stay warm all year round. All that aside though, it is a classic Italian vodka sauce recipe you can easily tweak to your desired spice level! First time cooking with vodka? Don’t worry, all alcohol in the vodka does evaporate during the cooking process while the vodka helps detach all the juicy pork flavor from the bottom of the skillet to ensure the most flavorful sauce you can possibly get! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

SERVES 4-5
10 Min Prep, 50 min Cooking Time

1 Pack of Penne Pasta (Usually feeds 4-5)
1-1.5 650ml Bottles of Tomato Sauce (basic Pomodoro or tomato & basil)
1 TBSP of Butter (Salted
1 Cup of Vodka
200-300grams Of Pancetta or Black Forest Ham (chopped finely - almost minced)
1 TSP of Chili Flakes (optional)
1 Medium box of 35% Whipping cream
Parmesan Cheese (1 Cup Shaved and 1 Cup for garnish)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Baguette (optional)

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HERE ARE SOME OTHER PASTA RECIPES YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY!

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DIRECTIONS:

Melt the butter down in a deep skillet on medium heat. Once the butter is melted and hot add in the chunks of pancetta or minced ham, tossing it in the butter and allowing it to cook until it becomes crispy.

Once the pancetta or ham is crispy add in your cup of vodka. It will create some more heat and steam but don't worry all the alcohol will burn out. This helps all the flavor from the ham that stuck to the bottom of the skillet to be transferred back into the flavors of the sauce later. Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to help them along. Let this cook down until there is only a little bit of moisture left. Take your time.

Next, add in the tomato sauce (whether homemade or bought from the store you want the most basic Pomodoro kind). This will add in a lot of liquid to your sauce so make sure you boil this down as well so that a lot of the water evaporates and you are left with a nice thick sauce. About 20-30 minutes.

If you want your sauce to be a little bit spicy add in your chili peppers now and let them cook into your sauce. Sprinkle and stir. You can also add in some Salt and Pepper now to your taste.

Next, add in your cream. First, about a 1/2 cup stirring the whole time than a 1/4 cup until you get the perfect red/orange color. You can taste it as you go to see if you want more cream. To help thicken the sauce up shave about a cup of parmesan down and add it into the sauce, stir it in. Let the water cook out of this while you start cooking the penne pasta in a pot. Some people also like to use a hand blender and blend the sauce at this point so that the small bits of pancetta/ham become undetectable and the sauce is extra smooth in texture.

Boil water for the pasta adding about 1-1.5 TBSP of salt to the water once it boils. Add in pasta and let it cook till it is al dente.

Now you should be ready to serve the sauce with the pasta. You can either mix it together or spoon some sauce on top of a plate of pasta. Garnish with more parmesan cheese and a slice of baguette.

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I hope you enjoy this authentic penne alla vodka sauce recipe as much as I do! Please let me know your thoughts and comments below I’d love to hear from you! Happy cooking :)

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TRADITIONAL MEXICAN CEVICHE

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I love me some ceviche and I found that discarded avocado skins make a great serving device for dinner parties because they are easy to carry, they wont leak and they are of course biodegradable! Ceviche originally came from Peru but has since evolved and been expanded on with other South American cuisines. One of my favorite styles is typically seen in Mexican cuisines where they use whole white fish and habanero peppers to give it a refreshing and spicy flavor. Enjoy.

Makes 15 Avocado Cups (small servings)

INGREDIENTS:

2lbs of White Fish (Sea Bass works)
8-10 Garlic Cloves (chopped finely)
2 TSP of Salt
1 TSP of Black Pepper
1 Habanero (remove seed and chop finely)
4 TSP of Cilantro (chopped)
20 Limes (juiced)
1 Medium Red Onion (chopped finely)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients except the onion in a bowl. Make sure all ingredients are covered in lime juice. Cover and place in fridge and allow to marinate for 2-3 hours.

After the two or three hours add the onion into the mix, place in avocado cups and serve.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

TOMATO, CUCUMBER & FETA SALAD WITH A TWIST - VEGETARIAN

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Salads are great if you are trying to lose weight. This is a extended take on a Greek Salad but with a much less complicated dressing. Its super easy to make and can be customized however you like however this salad allows you to get a vast amount of healthy minerals and nutrients you body needs to be provided while dieting.  Enjoy!!

Yields 2 Salad Servings

INGREDIENTS:

Salad
2 Vine Ripe Tomato (chopped) - anti inflammatory properties
1/2 An English Cucumber (chopped) - hydrate
1/2 a Cup of Feta (Chopped) - optional - calcium
1/4 Cup of Red Onion (Chopped Finely) - calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese and vitamins C
Hand full of Fresh Basil (chopped roughly) - High in vitamin K - essential to building strong bones and preventing heart disease
1/2 an Avocado (chopped) - good fats and oils
1/4-1/2 a Cup of berries (I used blackberries and blue berries) - antioxidants
1-2 TBSP of Hemp hearts - protein, fatty acids, iron and vitamin E
1 TBSP of Pine Nuts (Garnish) - protein and oils

Dressing
2-3 TBSP of Olive Oil
1-2 TBSP of Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper (as desired)

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients for the salad in a bowl, mix dressing ingredients in a cup and drizzle on top of your salad. Serve.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

KALE AND PINEAPPLE GREEN SMOOTHIE - ANTI-ANGIOGENESIS

I call this my anti-angiogenesis drink because it's full of great nutrients that help your body fight cancer and stop it from growing or metastasizing in your body. I designed this drink after watching Dr. William Li's Ted Talk on his discovery of anti-angiogenesis foods that help your body stop cancer cells from metastasizing and therefor helping you beat cancer. He calls it "eating to starve cancer". I will post the video below the recipe for you to see!! ENJOY

INGREDIENTS

2-3 Cups of Kale (steams removed and chopped)
1 Whole Cucumber (chopped)
3 Branches of Celery (chopped)
1 Lemon (peeled and chopped)
1/3 Of A Pineapple (chopped)
1 TSP of Spirulina Powder
A handful of Mint
 

DIRECTIONS:

Throw everything into a blender till it is liquefied and serve.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!