Summer and backyard BBQs are just around the corner. Brighten things up and serve something wonderfully simple, delicious, and healthy…a caprese salad perhaps. Grab your reusable bags and take a stroll through the farmer’s market, pick up some aromatic heirloom tomatoes, perfectly sweet strawberries, and fresh basil, and you are well on your way to creating a masterpiece.
TOMATO + AVOCADO CAPRESE SALAD
Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free
Recipe by Jentry Lee Hull
CAPRESE INGREDIENTS
- 4 medium heirloom tomatoes, sliced about ¼ in. thick
- 2-3 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled and sliced about ¼ in. thick
- 6 strawberries, stems removed and thinly sliced
- Juice from 1 lemon
- Balsamic vinegar (4% acidity), drizzle on top
- Olive oil, drizzle on top
- Pesto (Recipe below)
- Kite Hill Ricotta, crumble on top (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
PESTO INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups basil leaves, packed
- 1 cup baby kale, packed
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews or blanched almonds
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
- 4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ tsp. pink salt, or to taste
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2-3 Tbsp. almond milk
CAPRESE METHOD
- Remove stems from tomatoes and slice. Place in an even layer on a serving dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Depending on the size of your serving dish and personal preference, you can double or single layer your caprese salad.
- Carefully cut each avocado, widthwise, tracing the perimeter of the pit. Gently twist the avocado in half, remove the pit and peel. Slice into ¼ in. thick pieces.
- Place an avocado slice on top of each tomato slice. Drizzle with lemon juice. Double up on the layers if you have extra tomato and avocado slices.
- Place thinly sliced strawberries on each tomato/avocado stack.
- Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil followed by a sprinkle of salt and pepper, if desired. Add a dollop of pesto to the center of each stack and garnish with Kite Hill Ricotta (optional).
- Best if served immediately. If serving later, add more lemon juice (to prevent the avocado from browning), cover and store in the fridge.
PESTO METHOD
- Combine basil, baby kale, nuts, garlic, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until mixture is finely chopped.
- Slowly add olive oil and almond milk, while blending the mixture until the texture becomes creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides as you go.
- Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Thrive on,
Coach Jentry