Athletic-Minded Traveler

Have you seen this jar before?

He's well known in quick cooking circles for his garlicky flavor and flexible demeanor. He's also a rather simple fellow made up of diced tomatoes, canola oil, fresh garlic, onions, distilled vinegar, salt, basil, and spices. He's not too salty (180mg, 8% DV in 2 T), and he's quite agile, likely because at 275 calories for all 12 oz, he's a light on his base. 

Track him down. You won't be sorry.

Why you ask? Because alone or with his favorite accomplice, Roasted Red Pepper & Artichoke Tapenade, he will help you create super tasty fare in a snap. Who is this accomplice, you may wonder. He's a little saltier at 390 mg (16% DV), but equally light (2T = 20 calories). And a little goes a long way. His ingredients are equally straightforward as Mr. Bruschetta's with roasted red peppers, artichokes, onions, EVO, garlic, salt, distilled vinegar, black pepper, and spices.

Once you catch these two, put them to work. Here is how:

Seafood

• Pick something that you pan sautee: shrimp (raw or cooked), scallops, salmon burger...
• Heat your pan with cooking spray or EVO 
• Add the seafood and cook to almost done (however you like it). (For extra fun add garlic and/or onions to pan at start)
• Add the bruschetta mix (and, optionally, a lesser amount of the artichoke tapenade)
• Heat through
• Serve alone, over a salad or on bread. (We recently stuffed a hot dog bun.)

NOTE: This also works great for turkey burgers, sturdy veggie burgers and other meats.

Lentils 

• Trader Joe's & other markets sell already cooked lentils. EASY!
• Add a jar of the bruschetta to 16 oz cooked lentils
• Crumble as much feta as you like
• Add the Tapenade if you still need more flavor
• For bonus points, top with chopped cucumber and herbs

Broccoli

• We prefer warm or steamed broccoli versus cold/raw. A favorite way to prep the broccoli for a big salad or side dish is to fill a bowl with broken up florets and top with 2-3T of the bruschetta before heating in the microwave....YES, we use the microwave.
• The result is steamed broccoli with tasty flavors. 
• A little sprinkle of grated Parmesan on top adds richness

Spaghetti Sauce

• After much taste testing, our "go-to" red sauce is Trader Joe's Arrabiata. It's a little spicy but still kid friendly. And one way to "gourmet it up" is using the bruschetta
• Brown 3-6 minced cloves of garlic in a pan over medium or medium/high heat -- let it brown for a nice roasted flavor.
• Turn down heat. 
• Add your favorite pasta sauce (or 2-3 cans of diced or crushed tomatoes) 
• Add 1/2 jar Bruschetta
• If using tomatoes, add salt, pepper and herbs to flavor
• Enjoy

We enjoy flavorful cooking and prepping food "batches" that will last several days makes life easier. This sauce and the tapenade offer myriad possibilities...toss either with pulled rotisserie chicken and wrap in a tortilla! See, we could go on and on.

More food ideas? Click on the "Everything Food" archives! 

And don't forget to follow us on Twitter. Our tweets are better.