The transition in seasons from Spring to Summer brings with it a bounty of fresh summer vegetables. These bruschetta bites celebrate whatever fresh vegetables and herbs you can find at your local market that are in season throughout the summer months. Summer pea greens are also included in the mix of toppings here.If you can’t locate all of the ingredients below, use whatever you have on hand--Get creative with different vegetables, herbs, and flavor profiles!
Ingredients
1loaf of French bread, sliced on an angle in ¼” pieces
3Tbsp olive oil
3cloves of raw garlic, finely minced
½cucumber, peeled and cut medium diced
¼red bell pepper, medium dice
¼zucchini, medium dice
2cups cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters
¼red onion, very finely sliced
¼cup fresh basil, finely sliced
¼cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
2Tbsp fresh mint, finely sliced
1cup fresh summer pea greens
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
3Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Cut the loaf of fresh French bread into ¼” slices.
*If you cut the baguette into slices on a diagonal bias, the slices will have a larger surface area.
Place the slices of bread on parchment paper on a sheet tray.
Drizzle the slices of bread lightly with olive oil
While the oven heats up, prepare the other Bruschetta components.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the mined garlic, diced cucumber, bell pepper, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, red onion, basil, parsley, mint, pea greens, lemon zest, lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil.
Taste, and season with Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
Allow the ingredients to marinate while you bake your crostini.
Place the bread slices you prepared earlier in the preheated oven and bake for 8-12 minutes at 375F, or until the bread is gently toasted.
When the crostini are toasted to your liking, remove them from the oven.
Quickly arrange small mounds of the bruschetta topping you mixed up earlier on top of each slice of toasted bread.
Drizzle the top of the crostini lightly with extra virgin olive oil.
Serve immediately, while the crostini are still warm.
Notes
These are best eaten right after the Vegetable Bruschetta bites are assembled, while the crostini are still warm from the oven.