Caprese Salad

I am obsessed with caprese salad.  Big chunks of mozzarella, tomatoes and my favorite herb - basil!  Yum!  Traditionally caprese salad is made by layering big slices of tomato, cheese and basil leaves, then drizzled with olive oil.  However, I wanted a recipe that would be easy to take to a potluck or barbecue, and would be easy to eat.  So here's my "remixed" version.  It is not terribly healthy, although by using a vinegarette instead of just straight olive oil, you get a lot of flavor without eating as much oil!

Remixed Caprese Salad
2 c. basil leaves, washed
2 c. grape tomatoes
1 lb of mozzerella

Vinegarette:
1 c. basil leaves, washed (in addition to the 2 c. above, 3 c. total)
1 garlic clove
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp. water
7 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Rip (or chop) the basil leaves and chop the mozzerella into small (1/2 inch) cubes.  Put basil, tomatoes and mozzerella into bowl and toss together.

Using a blender or small food processor, puree basil leaves, garlic clove, balsamic vinegar, water, olive oil and salt and pepper together until fairly smooth.

Pour vinegarette over basil, tomatoes and mozzerella mixture and toss gently.  Let sit for a half hour to marinate!  Serve!

This is great with steaks or chicken.  Or in the middle of the night with a spoon.  Whatever works for you... :D

Amazing Citrus Slaw

OMG!  This was so amazing and healthy!  You also only need 3 ingredients from the store (oranges, a mango and coleslaw mix).  I made it and my mom, husband and I ate the whole bowl!  Even my 2-year-old daughter loved it!  I'm totally going to make this for our next potluck.  I made a few changes to the original recipe and I think next time I'm going to add some sort of nuts to add some crunch (cashews maybe?).  Either way, it is wonderful.

As far as serving sizes, this made about 4 servings.  I would definitely double it if making it for more people.

Amazing Citrus Slaw

1 10 oz. bag of coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage)
1 mango, seeded, peeled, cut into small chunks
1 can of mandarin oranges (with about half of the liquid) **I didn't have oranges, so I used two of my daughter's diced peaches cups including the liquid.
4 Tbsp. light mayo
Salt
Pepper

Mix coleslaw, mango, oranges (or peaches), mango and mayo in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper!

We served this with grilled salmon.  Yum!

Done!  Easy!  Enjoy!   :)

Roasted Cauliflower

This is such an amazing side dish if you like cauliflower.

Super simple:
Get a head of raw cauliflower.  Chop off the florets and make sure they are fairly separated (you don't want one big clump).

Toss them in a bowl with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees until crispy/cooked (about 25-30 minutes)!

We've added all sorts of weird seasonings too.  Curry powder is good on top of these, as well as grated Parmesan or garlic powder.  It is a great snack alternative and a great way to add cauliflower to your diet.  It has Vitamin C and folate and is very good for you.  Enjoy!