Roasted Red Bell Pepper Bruschetta

Many of you know how I feel about tomatoes..not a huge fan...but, I'm actually OK with them as bruschetta.  However, I'm also VERY fond of roasted red bell peppers so decided to make those in place of tomatoes for my bruschetta appetizer I served tonight!

This dish is quite tasty and a nice change of pace when you are serving bruschetta!  I hope you give it a try and let me know what you think!

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Bruschetta
Serves 4-6

6 large red bell peppers
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 basil leaves, chiffonade
1 tablespoon olive oil (I used Queen Creek Olive Mill's Tuscan Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used Queen Creek Olive Mill's White Balsamic Vinegar)
Salt & pepper to taste

To Serve:
Baguette, sliced and toasted
Crackers

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roast peppers on a baking sheet for 15 - 20 minutes until blackened.  Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.  Put the roasted peppers in a large zip top bag - this will make it easier to remove the skins.  Let them sit into the bag until cooled.  Once you are ready to prepare, remove the skins from the peppers, remove seeds, drain any excess liquid, and dice.   Once you have the diced peppers in a bowl, drain off any excess liquid.  To the bowl of diced peppers, add the garlic, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.  Serve with baguette slices and crackers.