Weeknight Meal: French Bread Pizzas

With the abundance of fresh veggies coming out of the gardens and the farmer's market, I've been looking for quick weeknight meals to use them up.  The other night, I hit upon a keeper with my "French Bread Pizzas".

We're all so quick to dial-up the local pizzeria and order-up a pie but few of us make pizza at home because the dough part can be a challenge and a time sink.  That's not the case with this classic.  What's more, you can get the kids involved and it won't really take any longer to prepare!

Pictured: Pizza with sliced cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, strips of salami, and mozzarella cheese.  Side salad of romaine lettuce, diced cucumbers, and diced cherry tomatoes tossed with a peach vinaigrette.
 
French Bread Pizza
- Several slices of French, Italian, or Artisanal Bread
- Shredded melting cheese such as mozzarella
- Fresh tomatoes seeded and diced or sliced very thinly
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- Any other favorite toppings

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2) Lay the bread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
3) Place tomatoes and veggies on the bread.  Try not to weigh them down too much or they'll get soggy.
4) Cover with cheese.
5) Bake at 375 until the bread begins to crisp and the cheese melts and starts to turn golden.
6) Remove from the oven, slice in half on a diagonal and serve with a simple side salad.