Wishing For Spring Bruschetta with Tomatoes, Sweet Onion and Cucumber

This has been a snowy winter! I have to admit I’m getting a bit tired of the snow. I can’t use my grill and I hate the cold. For me to get to my grill I must slog through snow almost knee high. This snow just fell last night, and the shin high footprints I made yesterday leading to the bird feeders are totally gone.

Did I mention I’m getting a bit tired of snow?

But enough whining. It’s time to Think Spring!!

One of the meals that the hubster and I love during the spring & summer is bruschetta with vegetables fresh out of our garden or from the local Farmer’s Market. We sometimes get crazy and add fresh mozzarella!

Crunchy fresh-baked bread topped with crisp, colorful, fresh vegetables mixed with spicy oil & vinegar is somehow — looking out at the cold, white snow — the perfect homage to Wishful Spring Thinking!

Did I mention that I am SO OVER the cold and the snow here?? Come onnnnnnn, Spring!!

So, in wishing for Spring I decided to bring a little color into the house early with Bruschetta with Tomatoes, Sweet Onion & Cucumbers.

Start with a loaf of freshly baked bread! (A blog post on how to make this bread is coming soon!)

Next, take your onion, tomato & cucumber and dice them up. Mix them all up together with a nice olive oil. I love to use the olive oils from the Season’s Tap Room in Bethlehem, PA.

I use Champagne Vinegar or some Oregano White Balsamic Vinegar. I try to use a white vinegar because a standard balsamic vinegar will turn those lovely  and colorful vegetables brown and then they look dingy. The dish will taste just fine, but it won’t look as pretty.

After mixing everything up and adding a good dose of salt to start the vegetables weeping, cover and leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes. You want to give those vegetables enough time to weep & release their juices and for the flavors to meld together with the oil and vinegar.

Slice up your bread and toast it using your oven, toaster oven or your grill.

Once it’s toasted, you can drizzle olive oil over the bread, spread with butter or leave it “nekked!” The hubster likes his nekked and I like a bit of butter on mine. I’ve noticed that the liquid from the vegetables don’t soak into the bread as fast if you spread a little butter or oil on first. I like my bread to stay “sog-free” as long as possible!

Once the bread is out of the toaster or off the grill, all you need to do is add your oil or butter and spoon on your vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste!

Spring on a Plate!