Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade with Garlic and Herbs

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf or curly parsley, packed
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 cup slow roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup purchased sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
• 2 T minced garlic, or more
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, or more
• 1 T tomato powder
• 1 T white balsamic vinegar
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rinse the basil, unless you’re using frozen basil or basil pistou, along with the parsley, then dry the herbs in a salad spinner or blot them well with paper towels.
2. Add the herbs to a food processor with the steel blade in place. Pulse until they’re chopped to the texture you like, pouring in the oil through the feed tube as the machine runs. Leaving a few green specks in the tapenade is a nice thing, so there’s no need to take it all the way to a paste.
3. Add the slow roasted tomatoes, or drained canned tomatoes, along with the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, parmesan cheese, tomato powder or paste if you’re using it, white balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.
4. Run the processor until everything is combined and the mixture is partially pureed.
5. Take a look at the consistency and blend in a little more oil if you want it looser. Taste, then add more garlic or parmesan cheese if you’d like, pulsing a few times after any additions.
6. Serve with whole-grain crackers, low-carb pita bread, whole-grain flatbread, or Socca. The tapenade keeps well in the refrigerator for about two weeks, and it can also be frozen.