Artichoke, Mushroom and Leek Crostini with Pesto

Another great recipe from The Kind Diet! Even my meat eating husband mmm'd and yum'd during eating! Somehow I lost my picture of these but I did find one of Cheryl in action. See how happy she is! Also we had these for lunch so I cut the baguette horizontally. The recipe calls for small vertical cuts, rounds. Trust me and whip up a batch! You will loooove these!!

1 whole grain baguette

2 T. EVO
2 t. balsamic vinegar
2 T. mirin
2 t. shoyu
sea salt
3 - 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 c. thinly sliced leek
2 c. sliced button mushrooms

Artichoke Spread
1 can whole, water-packed artichoke hearts, drained
1 T. EVO
1/2 - 1 t. umeboshi vinegar

Pesto
1 c. fresh basil leaves
3/4 c. raw pine nuts
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 - 2 T. umeboshi vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
4 - 6 slices whole grain baguette
finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Combine the oil, vinegar, mirin, shoyu and 2 pinches of salt in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, leek, and mushrooms. Cover the pan and when you hear sizzling, gently shake the skillet, holding the lid in place. Reduce the heat to low and braise until the leek is quite tender and deeply browned, 5 - 10 mins. remove the lid and allow any remaining liquid to cook off. Remove from heat and stir gently to combine.

Blend the artichoke hearts, olive oil and umeboshi vinegar in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Blend all ingredients for the pesto in a food processor until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Slice the bread into little rounds and brush the bread lightly with oil on both sides. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake until the bread is lightly browned and crispy at the edges.

Spread the artichoke mixture on the bread, mound the leek mixture generously on top, and finish with a dollop of pesto and a sprinkle of parsley.

***Last summer when I had lots of basil growing on the deck I made a bunch of pesto, filled an ice cube tray and froze it. Then I popped them out and put the batch in a ziploc. I am still fortunate enough to have a couple of "cubes" on hand for my next batch.