New Recipe – Crostini Verdure and a Delicious Plant Based Menu

I have never been a party queen but I have always loved being with friends and inviting them. Usually I prepare 3 – 4 courses, always healthy and plant based, until now nobody has complained. Even hard-line meat eaters get it and – I can assure – they even didn´t realise. Maybe this is why we are always offering best organic wines from Italy, Spain, France and Austria with the meals. But: when arriving everybody gets a smoothie as welcome drink! I would suggest something in pink or rose, e.g. this one (you can also take or add strawberries). Berry smoothies are the most delicious, nobody had ever refused to take one!

Here a menu if you want to follow the lead. As a soup I would offer a pumpkin velouté as it is the best season, followed by different varies of crostini (toasted bread with different toppings – our favourites are with tomatoes or with “verdure” = vegetables, s. today´s recipe). This is very filling but if you are expecting very hungry guests you can prepare something like this as a main course (s. photo below) or that. As a dessert I would suggest this. Looks delicious (s. photo at the very bottom)? It is. Everybody will enjoy this meal and nobody, believe me, will think that she or he had “only” eaten healthy food.

• Crostini Verdure (ingredients serve 2 – 4)

• sliced rye bread – I take about 4 – 6 slices per person
• oil, garlic, salt (for the roasted bread)
• 1 medium size blue onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 carrot
• 1 branch stalk celery
• 1 red bell pepper (you can of course take other vegetables of your choice)
• 1 glass of white wine
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• oil for the pan
• salt, pepper
• herbs – basil, parsley, thyme etc

Cut onion and garlic into tiny pieces. Wash and cut carrot, stalk celery, red bell pepper into tiny cubes. Heat oil in a pan, add onion, garlic and carrot pieces and roast until they are slightly brown. Salt. Add stalk celery, red bell pepper cubes and herbs. Salt, pepper.

Heat the mixture and pour the wine in. Reduce the heat. Stir until the liquid has evaporated. Add the vinegar, stir and let evaporate. Cover the pan and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes at a low temperature. Lift the cover, set aside.

You can roast the bread slices in a pan with added garlic cubes in the oil or in the oven at 180° C with fan (200° C without) for about 8-10 minutes. Have an eye on it! Take them out of the oven, put on plates and garnish with the “verdure” (vegetables). Serve and enjoy with a glass of excellent white wine.