Caprese Salad with Honey-Lime Balsamic Glaze
There’s nothing better than a salad with fresh Heirloom tomatoes. Grab some from your garden or local farmer’s market and try this delicious caprese salad.
Ingredients
1 cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup raw, unfiltered or regular honey
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 to 4 medium (1.5 – 2 lbs.) Heirloom tomatoes or any good seasonal variety,
cut into approximately ¼-inch slices
12 1-oz. slices fresh mozzarella cheese
¼ tsp. regular or sea salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
12 to 24 large fresh basil leaves
¾ cup fresh blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries
Directions
1. Over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, bring vinegar to a gentle boil in a 1-quart saucepan. Lower heat to between medium-low and low. Whisking frequently, simmer until vinegar has reduced by about half, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove pan from heat. (Glaze will thicken as it cools, so don’t over-reduce.)2. Whisk honey and olive oil into glaze. Cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally. Transfer to a bottle with a tip or an insertable pour spout. Set aside or refrigerate, if not ready to use.
3. Place 12 tomato slices decoratively on a serving platter. Top each tomato with a slice of mozzarella and another slice of tomato. If not ready to serve, cover and chill up to 6 hours.
4. When ready to serve, sprinkle tomato and cheese stacks lightly with salt and pepper and top each with 1 or 2 basil leaves. Place berries decoratively over basil and drizzle balsamic glaze generously over salad.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information: 145 calories per serving; 7g fat; 13g carbohydrate; 3g dietary fiber; 6g protein; 15mg cholesterol; 295mg sodiumTraditional Nutritional Information: 205 calories per serving; 14g fat; 14g carbohydrate; 3g dietary fiber; 12g protein; 30mg cholesterol; 800mg sodium
Cook’s Note: This salad can also be made in a bowl using cherry tomatoes, small mozzarella balls (gently rinsed and drained of any oil), a chiffonade (shredded) of fresh basil leaves, and berries. Toss all ingredients together gently and serve balsamic reduction on the side or drizzle decoratively over top of salad. The nutritional information stays the same.
Nutritional Talking Points
1. The glaze in this recipe uses raw honey as a sweetener. Honey contains probiotics and amino acids, making it a healthier alternative to the refined sugars and starchy thickeners found in commercial glazes.
2. The extra virgin olive oil was reduced from 1/3 cup to 2 tablespoons and added to the glaze rather than to the salad, cutting the fat content from 90 to 24 grams of fat.
3. Fresh mozzarella cheese is relatively low in fat, at 5 grams fat per 1 oz.
4. The sodium in the recipe was reduced from ½ teaspoon to a ¼ teaspoon.
5. The fresh berries give the salad extra fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin C.
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