Colorful Caprese

Tags

appetizer, basil, BBQ, bocconcini, ciliegine, cold food, dinner, entree, food, foodie, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, grape tomatoes, light fare, light lunch, lighter fare, lunch, mozzarella, mozzarella balls, picnic, postaday2011, pot luck, raw foods, recipe, salad, side dishes, tomatoes, vegetable, yellow tomatoes

Caprese is a summer classic, that’s why it’s my go to recipe. It’s always requested, but never the same. You can serve it sliced and stacked, as a kabob or cut and mixed as salad. At the beginning of the year, I served yellow tomato caprese for the teachers’ back-to-school. It seemed only fitting to use yellow tomatoes in my caprese for the end-of-the-year party today! So since I never serve anything exactly the same way twice, I’ll share my current variation. I halved golden grape tomatoes (first time I’ve found these at the store!!!), red grape tomatoes and the mozzarella balls (ciliegine). Then, I tossed them together with extra virgin olive oil, fresh chopped sweet basil, fresh ground sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. Just before serving I will drizzle with some balsamic vinegar.

Colorful Caprese

The hardest part is making sure the caprese is not devoured before leaving the house… with this dish, it’s not just Hubster, it’s also me!

Which summer dish do you prepare multiple variations?

Fav’ House Salad

Tags

artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoe, cherry tomatoes, dinner salad, entree salad, food, foodie, fresh tomatoes, hearts of palm, kalamata olives, light fare, light lunch, lighter fare, mozzarella, olives, postaday2011, recipe, salad, side dishes, spring mix, vinaigrette

Yes, I am a judgmental person when it comes to food. I believe the house salad sets the tone and taste for the expected meal. First of all, I do not like blasé iceberg lettuce. And adding shredded carrots, cucumbers and sliced tomatoes does not make the salad interesting either. And croutons? Please! They are only admissible when made fresh for a crock french onion soup. However, there is one restaurant I enjoy dining at that makes a fantastic house salad!

Fav' House Salad

Ingredients:
spring mix (no romaine, no iceberg), kalamata olives, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella

Directions:
Assemble ingredients on a chilled salad plate and serve with dressing.

Of course you can get any dressing you desire, however their house dressing is a perfect complement to the salad. Their tangy vinaigrette is simple and cleansing to the palette. They serve their house salad with fresh brick-oven focaccia. Double the salad size to make it an entrée salad.

Do you have a restaurant favorite?