Every once in awhile, Nicholas surprises me when it comes to food that he likes, and this time it was the Baked Caprese Salad I made. He likes all the components separately, but I didn’t think he’d care for it all once it was put together … and after plowing through three pieces, and requesting it again the next day, I knew we were onto something.
A recipe from Food Networkcelebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, it comes together lickety-split and makes a perfect starter for a pasta meal, just because, or to apparently get tomatoes into your kids little bellies. Barring all that, it made for the ideal contribution for tonight’s ARF/5-A-Day roundup. Now onto what everyone else made …
Claire from Cooking Is Medicine is up first tonight with the antioxidant-rich Blueberry Crumb Top Muffins:
The Chocolate Lady is back, this time with fresh pistachios:
Sarah from Cucina Bella gets through a tough morning to enjoy good-for-you Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake, or kick-ass coffee cake as Madeline refers to it:
Teczcape serves up delicious looking Seafood Cabbage Rolls:
Sarah from What Smells So Good throws together a pot of garden goodness with her Healthy Winer’s Sauce:
Baked Caprese Salad
Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
1 loaf baguette, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices (about 30 to 36 slices)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 1/4 pounds fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, stemmed
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Arrange the sliced baguette bread on a baking sheet. Brush with some of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake until the bread is pale golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Top each slice of bread with a slice of tomato and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top each slice of tomato with a slice of mozzarella and sprinkle with salt. Return the baking sheet to the oven until the cheese and tomato are warmed, about 5 minutes.
Arrange the toasts on a serving platter. Top each toast with a basil leaf. Using the brush, drizzle the remaining olive oil over the basil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve.
That baked caprese salad sounds heavenly. Mmmm. I am going to try that this weekend!
That looks great! I’ve been trying to cut back on my carb intake, though, I hear it’s bad for fitting into a bridesmaid dress.