My mom recently gave me a bag of home-grown tomatoes which were AMAZING! I wanted to use the tomatoes and make something fresh and uncooked to savor their taste. When I saw the basil and mozzarella in the fridge, I decided to make stacks for lunch as a side along with the Balsamic Marinated Tofu. I usually drizzle balsamic vinegar, but decided to make a reduction sauce instead with garlic. I also added some slices of avocado to make the dish more filling.
If you’re in the mood for a light, fresh, and satisfying lunch or side, this dish is perfect!
Yields ~4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1-2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced width-wise
- 3-4 tomatoes, thinly sliced
- mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced (omit for vegan option)
- basil leaves, washed and dried
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Poor the balsamic vinegar into a saucepan and add the crushed garlic. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Turn the heat to low and simmer until the liquid has reduced from 1 cup to about 1/3 or 1/2 cup. The vinegar will thicken as it cools.
- You can pretty much assemble anyway you want, but here is what I did for each stack starting from the bottom layer: tomato slice, mozzarella slice, basil leaf, tomato slice, mozzarella slice, avocado slice, tomato. For a vegan option, add another slice of avocado in between the first two layers of tomato.
- Sprinkle the top with freshly grounded black pepper.
- Drizzle on the balsamic reduction sauce just before serving. The amount will vary depending on your taste.
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