Friends, I’ve fallen off the wagon.
A once staunch anti-carb activist, I banned scrumptious foods like bagels, breadsticks, potatoes and pastries from my diet. For the most part, I survived… but I was just a shell of my former self. Barely recognizable; I was moody, depressed, and flat out craving the sweet comfort of delicious, soft, chewy bread.
And with just one bite of a Dempster’s Everything Bagel, lightly buttered and oh-so satisfying… I was off the wagon for good. I shall no longer deny myself the luxury of a dense, flavourful bagel! (I’m much happier now. Truly, I’m eating a toasted bagel as I type this. Sooo good.)
Hence, when the husband and I were craving an impromptu late afternoon snack yesterday, I decided to improvise with a few simple ingredients I had on hand – and created my soon-to-be-famous Loaded Bruschetta Bagels.
Honestly, this tasty appetizer doesn’t even require a recipe. Just grab a few staples –
Dempster’s Original Bagels, a clove of garlic, two Roma tomatoes (seeded and diced), 1 teaspoon fresh basil (finely chopped), a tablespoon of olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Oh, and I finish with a fine grating of Parmesan cheese.
Mix the diced tomato with the basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Set aside. Lightly toast one bagel – if you’ve got a super fancy KitchenAid toaster like I do, even better (thanks Dempster’s!)….