What do I love about summer? The harvest of fresh summer produce. And of course one of my favorite parts of summer produce is tomatoes. It is far from peak season but I did pick up my first of the local harvest at the farmer’s market this weekend.
You already know of my love of the BLT and salsa with these fresh from the vine gems. But only in the last couple of years have I discovered my love – adoration – facination (sorry, I got carried away there) of caprese.
So after my finds at the farmer’s market I just had to toss this salad together for dinner. Now don’t go posting any nasty comments about this not being authentic caprese – I know that
. But this is the quick – gotta have it now version.
For real caprese – and I know it tastes better – you should definitely do a balsamic reduction (The Pioneer Woman will show you how). For my version (remember this is “A Simple Kitchen) we grab a bottle of balsamic vinegarette dressing. I also like to add cucumber and red onion to my version.
So here you go. I hope you enjoy!
Quasi-Caprese Salad
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Red Onion
Fresh Mozzarella cheese
Fresh Basil
Balsamic Vinegarette Dressing
There are no measurements to this recipe. You just cut everything into chunks, in the proportions you prefer, and toss into a bowl, except for the basil which you would chiffonade into ribbons. Then toss with the dressing to taste.
The bowl that I made for dinner was pretty much finished off by myself and the daughter. Yes, we are the ones with taste buds in the family. The son tried it and said it was okay. The hubby put a spoonful on his plate (I think it was just to make me happy) but I’m not sure he even touched it – that’s okay though because he doesn’t really care for salads anyway. And that just means more for me.
I was recently blessed with a package of heaven in the form of 



