The Best Bruschetta served on gluten-free toast
This past week has been both exhilarating and difficult. Exhilarating because I came in #1 in Circle of Mom’s Top Foodie Mom Contest!
Difficult because two of my boys (my youngest son and one of the twins) suffered concussions within the span of 3 days, and both of them will have celebrated their birthdays while still experiencing the effects of their concussions. This past Monday was my youngest son’s birthday and today is the twins’ birthday.
The Top 25 Foodie Mom Contest was a long and tough contest with lots of talented foodie moms in the running, so I am honored to have come out as #1 on the Top 25 Foodie Mom 2012 list. I couldn’t have done it without each and every one of your votes for which I am so thankful. My hope is that by winning this contest, that more people will find my blog and gain awareness of “Food as Medicine.”
I would like to thank my family (especially my husband, who is my #1 fan and supporter), my friends (including friends that I became reconnected with during this contest), my devoted followers (thank you for all your shares and retweets), and all the new followers that found my blog along the way. I couldn’t have done it without all of you. The power of friendship, loyalty, social media and networking working in unison throughout this contest was incredible, and I learned so much.
Thank you for believing in what I am trying to do here on Jeanette’s Healthy Living. That’s what keeps me plugging away. That and the indescribable joy that I experience when I deliver a meal or popsicles for friends with cancer and they give me a big hug. These are the small things that you and I can to do to make a difference.
Some people have asked me what the prize was for winning this contest. There is no monetary prize. My blog will hopefully get more exposure so that I can spread the message of “Food as Medicine,” and help others learn more about healthy cooking. Â I want to empower all of you to feed your families, friends, and of course, yourself, healthy and delicious foods that not only appeal to the senses, but keep you well nourished and free from illness and disease. Please take some time to visit all the other blogs on the list – there are so many talented moms.
Now for the not so good news. Last week, I shared on Facebook that my youngest son suffered a mild concussion. Well, two days later, another one of my boys (one of the twins) suffered a more severe concussion. He was playing soccer with some friends over the long weekend, and the game got a little physical (what do you expect with a bunch of teenage boys!). From what I’ve pieced together, he fell hard on the ground with the back of his head landing first. He’s been in bed the last six days, lying in the dark, coming out once in a while to celebrate my youngest son’s birthday earlier in the week, and for dinner.
Needless to say, this has brought back some bad memories of when my oldest son suffered a severe concussion almost two years ago from football. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for both of my boys’ full and complete recovery. Thankfully, my youngest son’s concussion was a mild one, so although he missed out on his big 4th grade field trip yesterday, he’s getting better each day. As for my older boy, we went to a concussion specialist yesterday and assuming his headaches are gone by this weekend, he should be able to slowly return to school next week. We will be celebrating his birthday today, albeit in a quieter fashion, and are grateful that he is making a recovery.
So, to cheer my boys up this week, I made Tomato Bruschetta for breakfast one day – yes, for breakfast! Tomato Bruschetta is one of the easiest appetizer or snacks to whip up. It just requires a few fresh ingredients. Since tomatoes are not quite in season yet where I live, I bought a box of organic cherry tomatoes from a local market. They were not as sweet as in-season tomatoes, so I made a slight variation on a tomato bruschetta that I typically make for my family. I was inspired by a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com and added a little balsamic vinegar and a spoonful of chopped sun-dried tomatoes which brightened up this tomato bruschetta. Marinating the tomato bruschetta overnight also helped draw out the tomato juices.
This bruschetta reminded me of a scene in the movie Julie & Julia where Julie and her husband devour fresh tomato bruschetta, dripping with fresh tomato juices. That scene was the pivotal moment when Julie decides to start blogging her way through Julia Child’s cookbook. My mouth was watering after watching that scene again last night, which is why I am calling these The Best Tomato Bruschetta.
Today, a group of bloggers is honoring Julie Powell as #50 in the Top 50 Women Game Changers in Food. This is the last post in this series! I have learned so much over the past 50 weeks about an incredible group of women that have made a significant impact in the food world. Julie Powell is best known for her book Julie and Julia: 365 days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, which was made into a movie. Julie started blogging about her attempt to cook her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook, and landed a book deal.
Apparently, Julia Child did not approve of Julie Powell’s cook-every-recipe-in-one-year project. Judith Jones, Julia Child’s editor, said in an interview:
Nonetheless, Julie Powell did manage to get more people in the kitchen cooking, and I think took some of the intimidation out of trying Julia Child’s recipes. Just watch the Tomato Bruschetta scene and you’ll want to make this Best Bruschetta ever immediately.
The Best Tomato Bruschetta
Ingredients
Bruschetta Topping
- 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- fresh basil cut into thin slivers
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Brushetta
- Fresh whole grain or gluten-free bread French Bread style, sliced
Instructions
-
Mix all the Bruschetta Topping ingredients together in a medium bowl (can be done the night before). Toast the bread until just golden. Rub with crushed garlic when done. Spoon Bruschetta Topping on toasts. Grind some fresh pepper on top. Serve.
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Sweet and Spicy Spiralized Cucumber Tomato Arugula Salad Recipe {Daniel Plan Recipe}
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So much going on this week Jeanette. Congratulions on being #1, I hope the boys are fine now, and for completing this challenge! The bruschetta looks amazing.
Congrats on your big win! Much deserved. I am sorry to hear about your sons. I suffered a few concussions as a child and I know how stressful it was on my parents. Hope he recovers soon.
Thanks Bellini and Brian! Concussions are really stressful just because it’s so hard to tell how long the recovery period will be. Thanks for your well wishes.
I’m surprised to find Julie Powell on this list. I don’t think of her as a game changer, but as an opportunist who used the work of someone who *did* change the way all of us think about food to change the way we might think about her (Julie). I’ve learned a lot from reading these posts every week, and have been introduced to the cooking of several women whose work was new to me. How disappointing to end this great project with the weakest non-cook on the list.
There’s just nothing better than fresh summer tomatoes and basil!
It’ll be a while before we have tomatoes in St. Paul…but they’re tops! I’d like to make this.
Congrats on your success, Jeanette! And I’m so glad your boys are ok…what a time you’ve had.
Rest up this weekend! I’ve so enjoyed our blogging adventure..hope you’re going on to the next one.
Alyce, it has been a fun weekly event and I will miss it, but looking forward to the next one.
Congrats on your well-earned win, Jeanette. And wishing speedy healing for the boys. The bruschetta sings – it is my go to summer snack and have it around every day!
looks so amazing! Congrats on your awesome honor! So deserved
Congrats on your well deserved win Jeanette and I am so sorry for all the injuries befalling your boys. As mothers this plays on our worst fears and good for you for loading them up with vitamin c for breakfast!!! YUM!
Claudia, Alison, Jill – thank you for your well wishes. Concussions are a scary thing, and so common these days it seems (maybe we’re just more aware of them).
I loved that scene in Julie & Julia — and I love this bruschetta! It looks so fresh and inviting.
A HUGE congrats to you on your win, my friend. I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more.
Happy Birthday to the kiddos!!
It is a fun scene Faith – I watched it last night to help me remember how juicy the bruschetta looked on camera. Thanks for you congratulations and the Happy Birthday wishes. Congrats on your new book!
Oh my gosh Jeanette, I didn’t know about your boys! What a week – so glad they are on the mend and congrats again on a winning a much deserved title! See you later this week at Blogher!! 🙂
Alyssa, it has been a long week and hoping both boys will be back to a normal routine next week before I take off for BlogHer Food. Look forward to meeting you in person!
Sorry to hear about your boys. Your bruschetta looks so good with the cherry tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes. Again, congratulations on winning the Circle of Moms. Looking forward to the new group and I’m glad that you’re participating!
Sending lots of good thoughts your way for your boys’ recovery 🙂 And, a big congratulations on making it to #1-so very well deserved! This bruschetta sounds/looks very similar to the bruschetta my dad makes, and it is indeed delicious! He made a big batch last week and brought some over for me and my family. Needless to say it was devoured almost immediately!
Jeanette, Congratulations on your win!! And I’m so sorry to hear about your boys! I really wish they would make helmets mandatory for kids playing sports!
Well, we are at the end of this journey and it has been a fun project and very nice getting to know you. Love your bruschetta…so healthy and fresh looking! Have a great weekend!
Thank you Kathy! It has been a fun project and so glad to have the opportunity to get to know you better throughout this weekly event!
Congratulations! I’m so sorry to hear about your boys. I hope they’re on the mend!
Congratulations on you win. I am so sorry to hear about your boys. I will pray for them. It has been a wonderful ride my friend. I am so glad you were there to share it with me. The bruschetta looks delish by the way.
LOVE bruschetta, especially over green salads!
Many congrats to you! I knew you were going to win! I hope your little guys get well son. With two boys of my own (now 19 and 21) and having experienced concussions and all kinds of injuries, I feel for ya! Thanks for all of the wonderful recipes, lady!
BOYS! lol, such a handful…but I’m glad they’re recovering. And congrats on coming in #1 – that totally rocks! This tomato bruschetta is fabulous. I wish I had some for breakfast right now!
Yum! This is my kind of bruschetta!
Congrats on the win and I hope your boys recover quickly! What a week you’ve had! These bruschetta look delicious. I’m so glad I connected with you through this project and admire what you are doing to promote food as medicine. I’ve made several of Julia’s recipes from Mastering the Art of French cooking and they’ve all been delicious beyond words 🙂
Heartiest congratulations on your win! Well, you needed something to help balance out what must have been a stressful and worrying week. LIke everyone else commenting I do hope the boys are back to being themselves very soon. I’ve got a daughter who does lacrosse so I know how you are feeling, a bit. And as for the bruschetta, that’s a tweak on one of my favourite summer breakfasts. Yum
I do hope the boys are on the road to recovery. It sounds like things have been incredibly busy in your neck of the woods. I’m sure you are thrilled to be on the top of the list. You deserve to be there. It really has been a pleasure to have you in the group who celebrated the work of the nifty fifty .You added much to the project and I always looked forward to your posts. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Congrats Jeanette!!!
Thanks for linking up to my party too! I featured your post in my wrap up! http://tidymom.net/2012/12-summer-recipes-wallpapers/ Have a great rest of the weekend!
Thanks Cheryl and thank you for featuring my post in your wrap up!
gosh that looks delicious, and congratulations! I am so glad you won, you deserve the coverage and hope it brings in lots of new readers! so sorry to hear about your sons concussion – what a worry – sounds like you need lots of prayer if they continue with those soccer games! hope all is well soon.
first of all, CONGRATS! you deserve the title of best foodie mom!!! and wow, i don’t know how you do it – i hope your boys are fully recovered by now. and the touch of balsamic in the brushetta sounds FABULOUS!
First. Congrats. What great news to be rated number one. You deserve it. Second, I’m so sorry to hear about a rough week with the concussions and the boys. That is really too bad, but I’m sure they will bounce back and be fine in no time. I can totally understand Bruschetta for breakfast. My mom used to call it tomato toast and it was delish! Everyday through tomato season!
Congratulations again on your win for Top Foodie Mom Contest…so well deserved!
And your bruschetta looks like it needs to be my lunch today 🙂
your blog is so beautiful! and this recipe looks fantastic!
thank you for linking up on successful saturdays!
Hi, I love bruschetta but I can’t eat it anymore. I took an allergy test three years ago and was told I have allergies not only to tomatoes and wheat, but fish, soy, beef, and pineapples also. If you could think of any alternitives please send me them. I really want to try substituting peppers for the tomatoes. Would that be a good idea?
Stephanie, you can certainly use peppers (roasted peppers would be good too). Roasted beets, roasted red peppers and sweet sauteed onions would make a nice combination. There are some good gluten-free baguettes available now (Schar and Udi’s makes some) that I use for my son who is gluten-free.