Goat-Cheese Toasts
Indulge your guests with these tasty morsels, made by topping toasted slices of crusty baguette with slices of plum tomato and tangy goat cheese, sprinkled with pine nuts and fresh herbs. Light goat cheese is used to reduce the fat content without sacrificing the delicate flavour and soft, spreadable texture.
1 baguette (10 oz/300 g) cut into 1-in. (2.5-cm) slices
4 tbsp (60 mL) pesto
2 tbsp (25 mL) sun-dried tomato paste
4 plum tomatoes
5 oz (150 g) light goat cheese
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1⁄4 cup (50 mL) pine nuts
Few sprigs of fresh thyme or oregano, plus extra to garnish
• Pine nuts, used in Middle Eastern rice dishes and stuffings and an important ingredient in Italian pesto sauce, are rich in a variety of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc.
• Goat cheese is a tasty source of protein and calcium, as well as B vitamins (B2, B6, B12 and niacin) and phosphorus.
- Preheat the oven broiler. Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Lightly toast both sides of the bread.
- Mix together the pesto and tomato paste and spread a little on top of each toast, covering the surface completely.
- Slice the tomatoes lengthwise, discarding a slim slice from the curved edges, to give 4 flat slices from each tomato. Lay a slice of tomato on top of each toast.
- Place 1 small slice of cheese on each tomato slice, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Scatter with a few pine nuts and thyme or oregano leaves.
- Place the toasts back under the broiler and broil until the cheese is beginning to melt and the pine nuts are golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve the toasts hot, garnished with sprigs of thyme or oregano.
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 4–5 minutes
Makes 16 toasts
Each serving (one toast) provides: calories 93, calories from fat 36, fat 4 g, saturated fat 1 g, cholesterol 7 mg,
carbohydrate 10 g, fibre 1 g, sugars 1 g, protein 4 g.
Choices per serving: Carbohydrate 1⁄2, Fat 1
