There is nothing better than fresh summer tomatoes! I love the delicious and colorful heirloom varieties- they are sweet, juicy and taste so fresh. This recipe is a twist on the common tomato mozzarella salad that I love to enjoy so much during the summer months. I added in creamy avocado, smoked mozzarella, and some tangy arugula and then topped it off with a drizzle of basil olive oil, dash of salt and pepper, stack it all up and voila- a eye catching, wonderful tasting summer salad! Cricket especially loved the smoked mozzarella- I offered her just a little taste!
Tomato, Avocado, Mozzarella & Arugula Stack Salad
A twist on the basic tomato mozzarella salad including avocado, arugula, smoked mozzarella, and basil olive oil.
- 4 large heirloom tomatoes (in different colors/varieties)
- 1 avocado
- 1 package of smoked mozzarella (paleo/dairy-free use KITE HILL brand almond milk based cheese found at Whole Foods stores: http://www.kite-hill.com/our-foods/artisanal-delicacy/#soft-fresh-original)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup arugula
- 2 tablespoons of chopped basil
- dash of salt and pepper
- Slice your tomatoes about 1/8″ thick
- Slice your avocado in half, remove pit, and slice 1/8″ thick sections
- Slice the smoked mozzarella into 1/8″ rounds
- Blend the olive oil and basil in a blender (I used a small bullet blender- worked great!)
- Stack alternating layers of tomato, avocado, arugula, mozzarella, drizzling your basil olive oil and adding a dash of salt and pepper in between some of the layers
- Top it off with an additional drizzle of basil olive oil
- Note: This also can be prepared in bite-sized portions using mini tomatoes, just secure them with a tooth pick so they stay stacked until enjoyed!