Caprese Salad Christmas Tree

 


2 heads of romaine lettuce 

2 pints cherry tomatoes

2 8 oz. containers of bocconcini sized mozzarellas,  drained

1 cup basil leaves, cleaned and chopped

1 cup of your favorite salad dressing to drizzle over the romaine leaves;

 Italian Vinaigrette, Ranch, Olive oil and balsamic vinegar etc.

Note: Add croutons or nuts for something crunchy


Pull lettuce leaves from the stalk of the romaine head and rinse them.  Pat them dry.  

Arrange the leaves from the top of a tray down vertically to resemble a christmas tree with the cups facing up and the tips of the leaves facing down..

Fill each cup with a few cherry tomatoes, boccacini’s and basil leaves.

Drizzle your dressing over the leaves.  


I use bread sticks for the trunk of the tree and a star shaped cookie cuter to cut out a piece of cheese for the top.


Optional: If you are making this Christmas tree inspired salad for a group, offer several dressing options and have each person individually put dressing on their salad.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pasta with Shrimp and Spinach in a Creamy Lemon Sauce

Serves 4 1 lb. dried pasta of choice 2 tablespoons olive oil 5 cloves minced garlic 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved 1/3 cup lemon juice 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream 1/2  teaspoon each salt and pepper 1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan on medium heat. Add garlic and tomatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add lemon juice and cream to the pan. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle salt and pepper into the sauce. Add shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn shrimp over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add drained pasta and spinach to the saute pan with shrimp.  Mix to coat pasta with sauce.  Cook until the spinach wilts and sauce has thickened. This will take 2-3 minutes.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.   
Read more

Easy Salmon Salad

 8 oz. cooked salmon, flaked 2 cups cucumber, sliced into half moons 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 3/4 cups red onions, chopped 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped 4 cups mixed greens, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped Dressing: 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper In a large salad bowl, add salmon, cucumber, tomatoes, red onions and avocado.  Mix gently to combine. In a mason jar, add lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and shake to combine. Place a cup of the mixed greens on 4 plates.  Top with salmon mixture.  Drizzle dressing over the top.  Serve chilled.
Read more

Lime Tilapia with Avocado and Citrus Salsa

Image
1 tablespoon lime juice 1 tablespoon honey 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced 1 orange, segmented 1 grapefruit, segmented 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced 4 tilapia fillets  ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish In a bowl, combine lime juice, honey and jalapeno. Add orange and grapefruit segments, avocado and a pinch of salt.  Gently toss to combine.  Refrigerate while cooking tilapia. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat and add  extra virgin olive oil.  Evenly salt and pepper the fillets.  Cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown.  Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the fish is opaque.   Serve fish and top with salsa and sprinkle with green onions.
Read more