Roasted Tomato, Basil, and Goat Cheese Holiday Spread

(This is an old recipe from the past that was removed from the site. I am keeping this printer-friendly recipe here so anyone who was a fan will still be able to find it.)

Makes about 2 cups of spread, recipe inspired by Walnut-Basil Cheese Spread in Southern Living Christmas Cookbook, a very old cookbook where I’ve found a lot of good holiday recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup slow roasted tomatoes (or use 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes)
• 1/4 cup frozen basil, thawed (or use about 1/3 cup basil pesto)
• 6 oz. goat cheese (the type that comes in a log, such as Chevre)
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese (I used low fat)
• whole grain crackers, for serving

Instructions

1. Put tomatoes and basil in bowl of immersion blender or food processor and pulse about 5 times, until tomatoes are chopped and mixture is well combined.
2. (For sun-dried tomatoes, I would microwave them with a bit of hot water to soften, then put in processor bowl and pulse the tomatoes a few times before adding the basil.)
3. Remove tomato/basil mixture to a bowl
4. Put cottage cheese in processor bowl and pulse until mixture is blended.
5. Then crumble in goat cheese and pulse until cheeses are blended together.
6. Put cheese mixture in the bowl with tomato/basil mixture and gently combine.
7. Chill mixture for a few hours before serving.
8. Serve with whole grain crackers, French bread, or whole wheat pita bread.