Healthy appetizer – Pea Pesto Crostini

We had some friends over for dinner the other night and I needed an easy, cute, yummy appetizer to serve. Enter Giada De Laurentiis! She is one of my favorite chefs. I found this recipe which ended up being perfect and I will definitely be using it again.
Ingredients
Pesto sauce:

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1 teaspoon sea salt plus extra for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Crostini:

• 8 (1/2-inch thick) slices whole-grain baguette bread, preferably day-old, * see Cook’s Note
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 8 cherry tomatoes halved or 1 small tomato, diced

Directions
1. For the pea pesto: Pulse together the peas, garlic, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor.

2. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

For the crostini:

1. Preheat a stovetop grill pan on medium-high heat. Brush both sides of the sliced bread with olive oil and grill until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bread to a clean surface and spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the prepared pesto on each slice.
Top with tomato halves and serve.

—————————————————————————————–

In other news:

One of my best friends is trying out for the Minnesota Viking Cheerleading squad. Please take moment to vote for her by clicking (here). Her name is Jess and she is #27! Thank you in advance!!