Crusty Cuisine

If you need to make a snack for unexpected guests, nothing’s easier than crostini. And you can turn them into a meal by serving them with spinach salad. The crostini become super croutons.

The three toppings given below--Roasted Bell Peppers, Olive Tapenade and White Bean Puree--offer different flavors: sweet, garlic and lemony. They look good against the greens of the salad too.

Save the topping recipes and use them at larger parties as dips for fresh crisp vegetables or rounds of toast. However you do it, don’t forget to offer a bottle of red wine. A Petite Syrah or Beaujolais would be lovely.

Menu

Trio of Crostini

Spinach Salad

Trio of Crostini

Active Work and Preparation Time: 12 minutes

1 long, thin baguette

1 cup roasted bell peppers in olive oil

1 cup White Bean Puree

1 cup Olive Tapenade

* Cut baguette into 24 (1/4-inch-thick) slices, then toast in toaster oven or 350-degree oven.

* Cut bell peppers into thin strips. Divide peppers among 8 baguette slices.

* Spread 2 tablespoons White Bean Puree on each of 8 baguette slices.

* Spread 2 tablespoons Olive Tapenade on each of 8 baguette slices.

4 servings. Each serving: 570 calories; 2,123 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 77 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 3.91 grams fiber.

Olive Tapenade

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 7 minutes * Vegetarian

1 (8 3/4-ounce) can Kalamata olives, pitted

1 (6-ounce) can black olives, pitted

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon capers

1 teaspoon thyme

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

Coarse salt

* Puree Kalamata and black olives, garlic, capers and thyme with immersion blender until consistency of paste. Add lemon juice, olive oil and salt to taste and blend.

2 cups. Each 2 tablespoons: 97 calories; 635 mg sodium; 0cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.62 gram fiber.

White Bean Puree

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 5 minutes * Vegetarian

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

Coarse salt

Freshly ground pepper

* Drain beans and rinse. Puree beans, yogurt and cilantro with hand blender until beans are creamy. Add thyme, nutmeg, vinegar and olive oil and blend well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

1 1/2 cups. Each 2 tablespoons: 45 calories; 150 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.36 gram fiber.

Game Plan

30 minutes before: Wash and pat dry spinach.

25 minutes before: Prepare Olive Tapenade.

18 minutes before: Chop cilantro and prepare White Bean Puree.

13 minutes before: Cut bell peppers into thin strips.

12 minutes before: Slice and toast bread.

7 minutes before: Arrange bell peppers on baguette slices. Spread Olive Tapenade and White Bean Puree on baguette slices.

Just before serving: Toss spinach greens with vinegar and olive oil. Uncork wine.

Ingredients

Shopping List

1 long, thin baguette

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans

1 bunch cilantro

1 (15-ounce) jar bell peppers in olive oil

1 (8 3/4-ounce) can Kalamata olives

1 (6-ounce) can black olives

1 (4 1/2-ounce) package spinach

1/2 pint plain yogurt

Staples

Capers

Garlic

Olive oil

Lemon

Nutmeg

1 small red onion

Pepper

Coarse salt

Dried thyme

White wine vinegar

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Cook’s Tip

Even serious cooks use baby spinach in a bag because it’s so much easier than washing the grit out of a bunch of spinach. Just toss the spinach with a vinaigrette and add a few slices of red onion to dress it up.