Marinated Artichoke & Olive Bruschetta

I had a dish like this at a local restaurant and I loved the idea. I decided to make my own for an easy New Year's Eve dish.

Its packed full of flavor, healthy fats, lycopene, and antioxidants. No need to wake up on New Year's Day with a food hangover, too, amiright?

Ingredients:

• 1 batch of my Marinated Artichokes, drained

• 1 cup of fresh tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped

• 1 cup of Kalamata olives, pitted and halved

• 2 tbsp. of Basil Pesto (below)

24 hours prior: prepare the Marinated Artichokes and refrigerate overnight and prepare the basil pesto.

Remove the Marinated Artichokes from the fridge and using a slotted spoon, strain the artichokes from the marinade. You can either discard the marinade or save to use as a salad dressing.

Chop each marinated artichoke heart in half and toss into a bowl with the chopped tomatoes, olives, and basil pesto. Stir to coat with the basil pesto. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to a day before serving. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Basil Pesto:

• 2 packed cups of fresh basil

• 1/2 cup of pine nuts (or walnuts)

• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

• 1/8 tsp black pepper

• 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin olive oil

Combine basil, pine nuts, garlic, sea salt, and pepper in food processor. Start processing and slowly pour the olive oil into the top spout. Process for another minute. Stop, scrape down the sides, and process again for another minute. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.