Food Friday

PROVENCAL TOMATO TART

level: intermediate

prep: 20 min

bake: 20 min

serves 12

points: 2

5 large plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 onion, very thinly sliced

12 pitted kalamata olives, quarters

2 teaspoons herbes de provence

8 (12x17 inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed

1.5 cup grated parmesan cheese

1) Place tomato slices between sheets of paper towels and pat dry. Let stand 10 minutes. Mix together onion, olives, and herbes de provence in small bowl.

2) preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray.

3) lay 1 sheet of phyllo on baking sheet; lightly spray with olive oil nonstick spray. (keep remaining phyllo covered with damp paper towel and plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.) Repeat layering with remaining phyllo, spraying each sheet with nonstick spray. Roll edges of phyllo in, to form rim.

4) Arrange tomato slices on phyllo in single layer; top with onion mixture. Lightly spray with nonstick spray. Bake until edges of phyllo are golden brown and tomatoes an onion are softened, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan. Cut tart into 12 equal pieces. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature. 

*** HERBES DE PROVENCE are a mix of dried herbs that are grown in the south of France. Packed into decorative red clay crocks, they are available in some supermarkets and in specialty food stores. Herbes de Provence usually includes basil, fennel, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, and thyme. It is a very fragrant blend, so a little goes a long way.

So if anyone is still reading, I'm just wanted to say that I'm not holding out hope that I lost weight this week. In fact, I'm thinking I probably gained some. But after having a little chat with my friend Jess in the 'comments' area, I feel like I'm super pumped again. 

I think part of my problem is that I'm trying to conserve my points for night time. I start my day later (we are not early risers here) and I end it late into the night. So I like to eat something around 9-10p when I stay up until midnight - 1am. 

But I after a few pep talks from friends (and my Mom) I feel like I'm back at a good place. I'm ready for this week to be over, and I can forget about the 'mistakes' I made and just focus on the future. And I think I'm going to copy my friend Jess and buy myself something super fun for every 10 pounds I lose. And of course I'll take pictures of my purchases and show you guys what I get. 

So now I shall go to bed and hope that I didn't gain too much weight this week.