Avocado Caprese Salad

I have two amazing pieces of news to share.

Foremost, this Avocado Caprese Salad is lip smacking!

Second, I am getting new kitchen cabinets!!

 *Happy Dance*

I have been so busy recently that I am starting to see cobwebs on this blog. Bear with me people, the house is 70% done which includes a new coat of paint. I hope the remaining 30% furnishing is gonna be a breeze.

I am so excited over the cabinets! It is expected to be ready within these two weeks! I went to Ikea to purchase some new stuffs for the kitchen yesterday. It appears that I have placed the uppermost importance to my kitchen as I have been working hard on it and trying to make it look good so that it feels really comfortable. Well, Maya’s Kitchenette has to look pretty. Pun fully intended. I would have loved to makeover the bedroom too, but I do not have a free rein for now. Presently, there are some constraints. One is budget and next is space but hopefully it will be done in future. For now, I am considerably happy enough that the kitchen would appear nearly new! I purchased a bunch of jars and I am ecstatic to use them!!

Moving on to this salad ↓

It’s just a big dose of nutrients in a “bowl”.

So basically, this is a salad with tomatoes, avocado, fresh mozzarella and basil, tossed in a simple vinaigrette.

• Avocados have nearly 20 vitamins and minerals in every serving. They are full of magnesium and potassium and they are supposed to be the nutrients that help bring down blood pressure.
• Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, which is all-important for a potent and healthy immune system. They also contain vitamin A, which aids in repairing and growth of tissues.
• Basil is rich in antioxidants and anti-aging attributes. Anti aging? Ah, I feel younger already.
• And mozzarella? They are just plain delicious, what more reasons do you need? Not forgetting the protein and calcium, obviously.

Caprese salads are always so fancy. Whenever I say Insalata Caprese, I feel Italian. For real!

I topped this with a thin drizzle of homemade balsamic reduction. You can actually forgo the vinaigrette and straight use the balsamic vinegar reduction but I figured most people would find it convenient to use the balsamic vinegar as it is. It is really a matter of personal preference. I am hesitant about sounding too austere on the matter because either way, this is equally delicious.

Although I am not gonna do the finger wagging bossiness on you, you might want to try your hand at making the balsamic reduction because it goes well on top of almost everything! I have been drizzling this on a lot of things. Things like,

• Sunny side up
• Grilled Chicken
• Burgers
• Grilled veggies

The options are really endless and it is really easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Method:

Combine vinegar and sugar in a small pot over medium-high heat and bring up to a bubble. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the liquids until they’ve reduced by about half and are thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes.

That’s basically it. Can you believe a bottle of those commercially made ones can cost you anything between $13-$20?? It is just 2 ingredients and 10 minutes of work! Plus some of those commercially made ones have ingredients that you can’t pronounce. Well at least I can’t.

Creamy fresh mozzarella paired with the freshest of juicy tomatoes and chunks of avocado and that too only 250 calories per serving, you just can’t give this Avocado Caprese Salad a pass!

Avocado Caprese Salad

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• Author: Maya Kitchenette
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 10 mins
• Yield: 4 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tomatoes – cubed
• 2 avocados – halved
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• For the vinaigrette:
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 tablespoon brown sugar
• OR
• 2 tbsp of balsamic reduction.

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Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix the ingredients for the vinaigrette and set aside.
2. Scoop half of the flesh of the avocados and cube them.
3. Place tomatoes, avocados, basil and cubed mozzarella in a mixing bowl and coat them with the vinaigrette.
4. Drizzle with some balsamic reduction if preferred.
5. Place the salad in the cavities of the avocados.