Marisa's Healthy Kitchen

We hosted a Channukah Potluck on the last night of Channukah. It was so nice to be with everyone and share great food! I love having my friends over the house and cooking for them. I have been really into the pot-luck idea lately as you aren’t exhausted when your friends come over after spending the week cooking in the kitchen.  We were really excited to celebrate and so happy that we managed to fit 9 people into out apartment! The joys of city living 🙂

Judith is an amazing cook and makes such great and gorgeous food! This time she made an Insalata Caprese for our first course. I always love that kind of salad, but she made it even more special with the addition of roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and deelish balsamic drizzle. Yum!! Check out her Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta from our last pot-luck.

Uploading these pics now is making my mouth water!! Seriously how gorgeous is this dish?!?!?!
Insalata Caprese

• Assorted Heirloom or Garden Tomatoes (about one large tomato per person)
• Large bunch fresh basil
• Fresh Mozzarella. It will be packed in water. About ~3 oz per person
• Balsamic Glaze (or Balsamic Vinegar)
• Jar of roasted peppers
• Bag of sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

1. Slice tomatoes (tip: put them in the fridge for an hour to make slicing easier) and mozzarella into pieces of equal thickness. Place in a plastic container or cover and let come up to room temperature before eating.
2. Drizzle balsamic on the bottom of a plate.
3. Arrange slices of tomatoes, basil leaves, peppers, sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella.
4. OPTIONAL – For a more filling salad, toss mesclun mixed greens with a small amount of vinegar, oil, salt and pepper.
5. OPTIONAL TIP #2 – In a blender, combine 2-4 tbsp olive oil with the remaining basil leaves to make an herb oil. Use this to drizzle over the TMB.

Stay tuned for the entrée course tomorrow 🙂