Greek Style Bruschetta Sammies

Can you believe that we are still in the middle of this loooooonnnnggg heat wave? Right now as I type this our temperature is 35C, feels like 46C. For you Americans that's 97F, feels like 107F. The radio DJs this morning said that we are hotter than Havana, Cuba, Jamaica or Kandahar. What the heck?! That is way too hot for this Canadian gal! I don't mind the heat, but I really wish the humidity would take a hike!

Tonight I came straight home from work to let the dogs out. They're nice and cool in their crates while we're away, but I want to make sure that they're getting lots and lots of water to avoid any issues with dehydration. This weather can be deadly for pets, so please make sure that they have lots of cold fresh water and somewhere they can go that is out of the sun!

I had plans to hit the gym ~ because I am just dying to sweat a little more ~ so I whipped up my favourite pre-workout snack: a brown rice cake smeared with my new love, sunflower seed butter. I could  have eaten this stuff with a spoon. Hands down this is my fave nut butter of all time.

After the gym I had a repeat dinner from my WIAW post. It was something I made on the fly when I was feeling extrememly lazy and it turned out to be delicious, so I  knew I had to share. I prepped the veggies before I left for the gym and then I put it all together and had a delicious dinner within about 15 minutes after getting home.

Greek Style Bruschetta Sammies

Makes 2 open-faced toasts (which for me feeds 1 ;-)

2 pieces of bread (I used Weight Watcher bread to keep my portions small)
1 tsp Earth Balance or butter

1 - 1 1/4 c chopped veggies (I used grape tomatoes, sweet onion, zucchini & black olives - marinated artichokes would be an amazing addition too!)
1 clove of garlic minced
1/3 c shredded cheese (I used a mix of feta & mozza)
1 small fresh basil leaf, minced

Turn your oven to broil.

Heat a small frying pan on medium heat. Add the Earth Balance.

Once melted, add your veggies and garlic. Stirfry until the onions and the zucchini begin to soften.

While the veggies are cooking, toast your bread either in the toaster or by putting it under the broiler for just a few short minutes.

Place toast in a shallow oven safe dish. Top with the veggie mixture followed by the cheese. Sprinkle the basil on top.

I like to load my toasts up!!

Fresh basil straight from my herb garden --- so fresh and delicious!

Place the toasts under the broiler for 4 - 5 minutes. I like the cheese to be melty and for me it's done when the tops start to turn a gorgeous golden brown :-)

Remove from the oven and let sit for 2 or 3 minutes. Watch those tomatoes they are tongue burnin' hot when they first come out of the oven.

Serve & enjoy!

I like to have this as a lonely girl dinner when Derek's left me to my own devices. This could easily be turned into a fun appetizer by topping slices of a baguette instead of the toasts.

What's your favourite lonely girl/boy meal?

Have a great night. Stay cool...and if you live somewhere cool, please send a little my way!!

Andrea

Mini Greek Egg White Souffles

Oh happy day!! The sun is shining, the temperature is rising and the sound of our neighbours lawn mower is music to my ears. This is just what I needed to pull myself up out of my funk and get my booty in gear!

This morning I was up bright and early to go to a new spin class at the gym. On my way home, I decided that  I'd take the dogs for a walk in this gorgeous sunshine before I went inside to start tackling my very long list of To-Dos.

By the time I finally came in the house I was torn between checking out all my fave blogs or getting something to munch on. My bloggie buds won out and I took a quick buzz around the Net to see what everyone was up to. I'm so glad I did, because I saw a recent post from Cait at beyond bananas that totally inspired my lunch! This recipe is easy, based on one serving for one lone gal at home and is delicious!! It also helped me get rid of some leftover ingredients lurking around in my fridge from my orzo spinach greek salad last weekend.

Mini Greek Egg White Souffles

Makes 4 mini souffles (perfect for one hungry gal)

Recipe adapted from Cait's Egg White Souffle Dinner Cakes

These little beauts are so delicious. Cait put some spices into hers and I completely forgot. They still tasted amazing! You have to be careful when removing them from the pan because they can easily be squished down. They are light and fresh and would be a perfect addition to a Mother's Day Brunch!

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

3 egg whites

1 c baby spinach, chopped

3 tbsp onion, chopped

3 tbsp tomato, diced

2 tbsp black olives, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp feta

Note: The original recipe called for a dash of garlic powder, pepper and chili powder. I forgot and mine still tasted great, but you could add any spices that you like!

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 4 muffin cups in a tin muffin pan. Make sure you grease your cups well because these will stick.

Preheat the olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add your spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted (approximatley 1 - 2 minutes).

Add the tomato, onion and black olives to the skillet and cook an additional 4 - 5 minutes ~ until the onion is softened. Remove from heat.



Place your egg whites into a medium sized mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed for 4 - 5 minutes until the they are white and fluffy and are able to form stiff peaks.

In the beginning....

The final result. 

Fold in the veggie mixture and feta cheese.

Scoop the egg mixture into the prepared muffin pan. Makes 4 large muffin cups or you could make 6 smaller ones, if you prefer.

Bake for 14 - 15 minutes. They are done when the tops are golden brown.

Don't they look lovely (minus the old pan I was using)??

 I found that the best way to remove the souffles from the pan was to run a knife around the edges and then use a fork to GENTLY remove them. They squish very easily so be careful!!

Yet another healthy meal that is quick, easy and delish!! I was nervous about just using egg whites, but you can hardly even tell. These were amazing and I loved every single bite! I had some salsa on the side, but they are really good on their own. I didn't use much salsa at all.

I think I've procrastinated enough, so I better be off! My workout is done, the dogs are exercised and my belly is satisfied. Time to go be productive!

Have a wonderful weekend. Soak in some of the sunshiney rays while you can!

How do you tackle a great big to do list?

What ingredients do you like to add to your souffles?

Andrea