Making Vegan Bruschetta

The other day, a friend of mine asked me how the heck I made bruschetta without cheese.  Honestly, I can't imagine bruschetta with it, I told her.  She eats it a lot, but with melted mozzarella.  Well, I suppose a person could use soy cheese on my version, but I've found I like the bruschetta without anything like that.  The flavors are strong and tasty and I think cheese would simply ruin that.

So, how do I make my bruschetta?

First, start with a crusty loaf of bread--rustic artisan bread or ciabatta are my favorites, but almost anything will do (well, rye wouldn't work, but you get the idea, I hope!).  Slice it up--you can go fairly thin if you like, but I like mine about one inch thick.  You'll have some juicy toppings, so it's best to make it on the thick side.  Grill it or toast it--I put mine in the oven on broil, and it's done fairly quickly.  Take it out of the oven and brush it with olive oil.  Now, I listed bread first, but you really want to leave this step for last, because you want it fresh and warm right before you eat it.

Next are the veggies.  Tomatoes and onions are a must.  You can use any kind of tomatoes you like.  Chop them up and throw them in a bowl.  Tomatoes are the "main event" as far as I'm concerned.  Take half an onion--again, any kind will do, but red onion is pretty to look at and fairly mild.  Again, chop it up and throw it in the bowl.  Now, you want some green.  Several leaves of fresh basil are nice, or you can chop up arugula or Romaine lettuce instead, whatever you like the taste of. 

Now, garlic is important, but it's up to you how you'd prefer to use it.  You can either mince two cloves and throw them in with the veggies, or you can add them to the olive oil and spread them both on the bread.  Garlic is a must!

Now, you need to "marinate" your veggies.  Sprinkle a little sea salt and pepper on them, and then add vinegar and olive oil.  I do two parts vinegar to three parts olive oil, depending upon how many veggies I've chopped up.  What kind of vinegar?  Again, that's up to you, but I prefer either red wine vinegar or balsamic.  Really, it depends on what kind of mood I'm in, but I usually vary it depending on my "green."  If I'm using basil, I like red wine vinegar, but if I'm throwing in some Romaine lettuce, I'll use balsamic.  Either way, it tastes great!

After letting the veggies sit for ten minutes to half an hour, grill your bread.  Immediately throw a few spoonfuls of veggie topping on each slice, and let the juices flow on the bread too.  It's tasty!  Really, who needs cheese when you've got this much flavor?