Pan Catalan

Tonight continues my exploration of international side dishes that are vegan without even meaning to be! Tonight's comes from the Catalonia region of Spain, and is like the Spanish version of bruschetta. Also known as pan con tomate (or "tomato with bread") it really is about that simple - but with a lot of great taste.

Toast 4 (2-ounce) slices of country white or wheat bread (I went with the wheat, just because the health nut in me shies away from white bread). If you don't have a toaster oven (which I do not), broil the slices in the oven for one minute on each side.

Cut one garlic clove in half, and rub one side of each toast slice with the cut sides of the cloves. Discard the garlic.

Cut two plum tomatoes in half, and rub over that same side of each toast slice. You can save the plum tomatoes for another use after this!

Sprinkle all four slices evenly with a 1/4 tsp. of salt, and drizzle evenly with one tablespoon of olive oil. Each slice if 200 calories.

Cost:
country wheat bread $3.49
plum tomatoes $1.03