Easy Caprese

One of my daughters shared a wonderful story. She regularly makes caprese salad for dinner. Sometimes she substitutes red peppers for the tomato, or adds some cucumber. She uses whatever is on hand. The important parts are the balsamic dressing and the fresh basil. If there's any leftover salad, it appears in lunches for her kids. Some of the kids friends have asked her how she makes her tasty lunch dish. Wow, is that impressive. This is an extremely easy version of a caprese salad, one that even kids can make.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped tomatoes, use 2 heirloom tomatoes, or 12 cherry tomatoes
          (you can substitute red peppers, cucumbers, or use part tomatoes and part peppers)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
8 leaves fresh basil
2 low fat string cheese (mozzarella)
1-1/2 Tbs. balsamic vinaigrette

Directions:  Chop the tomatoes, or halve the cherry tomatoes, or chop the peppers. If using cucumbers, peel them, then chop. Sprinkle the tomatoes with the sea salt. Chop the basil leaves, cut the string cheese into 1/2 inch lengths. Mix all the vegetables together, and toss with the vinaigrette.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Use the vegetables your kids love, and they'll love this salad!