Caprese Salad or Insalata Caprese

Stare into this image and tell me you don't want to be there right now. 

Even as heavily populated as this tiny portion of the island is it still emits a sweet calming glow.

If I close my eyes I can imagine taking in the view from this very spot while feeling the breeze coming off the shore as the sun rests and the moon starts it's rise into the sky. Oh gosh how I would love to sit right here and over look this amazing view with mi amore and a crisp glass of sweet white wine.

This my friends is the beautiful island of Capri, located just off the coast of Italy near Naples.

And "Caprese" refers to something that comes from or is in the style of Capri.

Tourists know the island mostly for its villas, grottos and jutting limestone towers. 

Culinarily speaking, it's best known for its namesake salad, the insalata caprese -- fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. 

The name of the island comes from "capra", the Italian word for "goat". (In English, "caprine" refers to anything having to do with goats.) A real insalata caprese, though, is not made with goat's milk cheese, but with true Mozzarella di Bufala Campana -- buffalo's milk mozzarella made in certain designated areas of Italy -- Naples included. 

Sigh...Wow would I love to visit here. There is something so amazing about Italy. It calls my name often and one day... very soon I hope to dip my toes into the salty sea off her coast.
Until then I will dream and cook and dream some more.
 
If you would like to have a little taste of Capri along with me you certainly can.  
This salad is so easy to prepare, takes next to no time to put together and is so beautifully rich with color that it practically pops of the plate.  And did I mention the flavor?  
It will leave even the pickiest of pallets begging for more. 
{Trust me my hubby was so pleasantly surprised that he kept coming back for more.}

All you need is
Fresh Tomatoes, Basil, Mozzarella and Balsamic Glaze.

Combine however you wish and serve.

Bellissima!

Building the Perfect Salad!

To me there is nothing better than a fresh salad. I swear I could eat them all day, every day.

Ok well maybe not for breakfast but the other two meals I could so do it.
And when you build your meals ahead of time it makes it so easy to eat healthy which brings me to one of the main reasons I like to make these ahead of time is

CONVENIENCE

The more you make eating healthy easy and convenient the more you will do it.

 I have been on a Cobb Salad kick lately and so this weekend I decided to put the salad trays to use that I had saved from my last minute lunch runs to my local Publix.

Now I have four stacked in my fridge. Ready to Grab and Go and at a fraction of the cost!

I love trying new ingredients and testing them out on my family and they always seem to really love my salad combinations.

I do have a few rules I stick by when making my salads though and presentation is huge for me.

Why?

Well because as you all know....

I love pretty food. 

Yep and that's my first requirement on my list of building the perfect salad.

Believe it or not but pretty food makes my heart skip a beat and I believe no matter how healthy it is if its pretty it will make you want to eat it all the more. 

So use your imagination and built it pretty.

Color excites the eyes and makes us want more. Eating healthy also requires that we 

"Taste the Rainbow" so to speak.

So I like to try and have as many pretty colors happening in my salads as possible.

It adds to the pretty and the healthy.

Don't think you have to stick with what you've seen used before. 

Fill a salad with your favorites. If your ideal Cobb Salad has strawberries then go for it!!

After all it has to be what YOU love and not what the supermarket dubs the perfect salad.

Well that's it, my three easy rules to designing the perfect salad.
Don't you feel inspired to go build a pretty, colorful and tasty salad now???
Go WOW your family!!!!
:)

My Cobb Salad Ingredient List
{Go Organic where you can}

Romain Lettuce
Organic Cherry Tomatoes
Organic Carrots (Greenwise from Publix)
Cucumber
Boars Head Blue Cheese
Red Onion
Boiled Egg
 2 slices Boars Head Ovengold Turkey Chopped
Half a Haas Avocado Mashed
{I use avocado for my salad dressing it's naturally gluten free and packed full of good stuff}
Cobb salads most often come with bacon so you can add that if you like as well.

That's it!
Pull up a chair, dig in and enjoy!

Wanna share your favorite salad? Don't be shy tell us what you love piled high on your greens. :)