38 comments

It’s All About the Basil Vinaigrette Salad

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Oh foodie world, how I have missed thee! I have had a CRAZY week that translated into a semi-crazy weekend. As things have slowly returned to “normal,” I’ve been inundated by thoughts of my foodie friends’ posts that I am excited to catch up on, and this salad. Well, actually, this vinaigrette. The salad is simple. It invokes the spirit of Caprese, with its fresh tomatoes and salty capers, but is a bit lighter given that I prepared it sans cheese. Instead of fresh basil leaves like in an insalata or pesto like in a sandwich, I went with a basil vinaigrette. Such as simple twist, but incredibly delicious!

It’s All About the Basil Vinaigrette Salad

Salad Ingredients:

mixed field greens

1 vine-ripened tomato (sliced)

2 tablespoons finely diced red onion

2 teaspoons capers

freshly ground black pepper

Basil Vinaigrette Ingredients:

1/3 cup (packed) fresh basil

juice from 1 lemon

2 tablespoons white balsamic

1/2 teaspoon raw agave

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt, pepper

Method:

*Chop tomatoes and onion.

*In blender or food processor, blend all vinaigrette ingredients.

*Place washed field greens on serving plate. Arrange tomato slices, capers, and red onion on greens. Add fresh pepper. Dress salad with vinaigrette. Note: feel free to tweak the acid to oil ratio of the vinaigrette to your liking!


Written by

Tiffany M. Griffin is the woman behind Como Water, Washington DC’s premiere veg-centric cuisine consulting company. Through cooking classes, demonstrations, catering, and consultations, Como Water gives people the opportunity to learn how to prepare veg-centric cuisine that boasts maximum flavor, with minimal effort. Tiffany is quickly becoming a go-to expert on the future of veg-centric cuisine, and is a regular contributor to Como Water, the blog, as well as to vegetarian and vegan sites across the Internet. For over a decade, this self-taught, entrepreneurial expert has developed a set of tried and true techniques for making simple, delicious, and sometimes decadent veg-centric dishes. Featured on the Steve Harvey Show and other leading media outlets, Tiffany was born and raised in Springfield, MA. She then earned Bachelors degrees in Psychology and Communications from Boston College and a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. She now resides in Washington DC, where she has worked in the US Senate and at a federal agency on issues around health, food, nutrition, and international food aid/development, and of course, as the owner of Como Water. Tiffany gets culinary inspiration from the food she grew up eating, and from her travels throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She is dedicated to sharing her wealth of knowledge on veg-centric cuisine with others and to help others live by her mantra—love life, live long, and eat veg-centric cuisine!

Comments

  1. Christina

    It’s been one of those crazy weeks here too! Hope things calm down for both of us next week! Beautiful salad!

    January 31, 2011
  2. ceecee

    basil dressing sounds wonderful! In fact I have a bunch of basil in the fridge..hmmm…

    January 31, 2011
  3. Angela@RecipesFromMyMym

    I know exactly what you mean about missing the foodie world and it’s good to finally have a minute to check out recipes and posts. Your salad is so colorful and tantalizing, especially love the capers. And the basil vinaigrette is a must try.

    January 31, 2011
  4. zenobia

    Looks lovely! What do capers taste like? Never had any.

    January 31, 2011
    • Tiffany

      Thanks! Hmmm…. capers are salty and taste a bit like teeny, tiny pickles, but MUCH better 😀

      January 31, 2011
      • zenobia

        Oh, I’m so getting a bottle on my next visit to Nature’s Basket (Ever since I discovered that store, I am slowly going broke :))

        January 31, 2011
  5. Sandra

    So colorful and look sooo delicious!!! Yum!!

    January 31, 2011
  6. Happy When Not Hungry

    This salad looks so fresh and delicious… yum!

    January 31, 2011
  7. Roxan

    Basil is hands down my favorite herb, I’ve never thought about putting it in a vinaigrette before. This sounds amazing!

    January 31, 2011
  8. Melissa

    It sounds delicious. It would be wonderful on a summer salad.

    January 31, 2011
  9. Natalie

    Sounds like a dressing I would put on everything! Soups, bread, pasta.. Just wish my basil would hurrry up & grow!!

    January 31, 2011
  10. Jill

    Oooh I love basil. Your photos are mouthwatering!

    January 31, 2011
  11. The Mistress of Spices

    This vinaigrette sounds delicious, I’ll have to try it! And I love the capers and red onion in the salad.

    January 31, 2011
  12. Peggy

    I can relate to you with the crazy weeks! I’m hoping this one is a little less hectic, but I highly doubt it! This salad and vinaigrette sound absolutely amazing though!

    January 31, 2011
  13. Hester Casey - Alchemy

    I can’t wait for the warmer weather to get some pots of basil growing. I absolutely love it. I particularly love it in vinaigrette – it seems to really infuse the oil with its wonderful flavour and is a fantastic addition to any salad.

    January 31, 2011
  14. Gitte

    Basil dressing…you’ve got my attention. Sounds delicious and I love the addition of capers. Great post.

    January 31, 2011
  15. JL goes Vegan

    Gorgeous salad! (I love capers…why don’t I cook with them more?!)

    January 31, 2011
  16. denise @ bread expectations

    YOWZA!!! I have three different vinaigrettes in the fridge right now, so I’m not kidding when I say I have a vinaigrette fetish! Love your basil flavoured vinaigrette – the colour, the smell, the taste. Sometimes it’s the simplest twists that make all the difference! Gorgeous salad 🙂

    January 31, 2011
    • Tiffany

      Thanks!!! 🙂

      February 2, 2011
  17. Monet

    Simple but delicious! This salad looks stunning…and I’m always on the hunt for new dressing recipes. I hope that this week unfolds with much less stress! Thank you for sharing!

    January 31, 2011
  18. Ang

    This looks fantastic and the capers were unexpected. I love it!

    January 31, 2011
  19. Brandie@thecountrycook

    Oh Tiffany, you are making me think of summer here. And I needed that! I think this is just the pick me up I need!!

    January 31, 2011
  20. The Farmers Wife

    Oh does this ever look amazing?!? I absolutely LOVE salads like this! Hope life continues to get back to normal for you!

    January 31, 2011
  21. Amy Bakes Everything

    How gorgeous! I love little simple salads like this – they always taste the best, great job!

    January 31, 2011
  22. irena

    Wonderful refreshing salad..love the capers:)

    January 31, 2011
  23. Keaton

    There is nothing better than Basil. Seriously, I put it on EVERYTHING! This salad looks fantastic!

    Happy Cooking!

    keatonthefoodie.blogspot.com

    January 31, 2011
  24. Stephanie

    Sounds great and very refreshing. I love fresh basil but usually turn it into pesto or eat it in a salad. I’ve never thought to make a vinaigrette but I will now!

    January 31, 2011
  25. Lora @cakeduchess

    This salad looks divine! I adore the flavor of capers. I will add them to my salad the next time. :)Yum!

    January 31, 2011
  26. Adelina

    Love basil pretty much in lot of food, specially with my tomatoes. Great salad!

    February 1, 2011
  27. Kare

    The addition of capers sounds and looks amazing. YUM!

    February 1, 2011
  28. briarrose

    Lovely vinaigrette…..I wouldn’t have thought to use fresh basil in it. Yummy!

    February 1, 2011
  29. Kate @ Diethood.com

    Thoughts of summer… YUM! And I’m loving the vinaigrette – basil and agave….mmmmm!!! Great job Tiffany!

    February 1, 2011
  30. Becky

    Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love your salad, especially the basil. Your tomatoes look gorgeous, especially this time of the year. Now I want salad.

    February 2, 2011
  31. Tiffany

    Thank you all for your lovely comments!!!!! 😀

    February 2, 2011
  32. Steve

    This is reminding me of a fresh summer salad with fresh produce from the garden….

    February 2, 2011
  33. Chris and Amy

    That looks amazing!

    February 4, 2011
  34. Manu

    Wow Tiffany! This vinaigrette seems so yummy that it is making my mouth water!! Being Italian I would put basil on almost anything, but I have never tried it in a vinaigrette! It’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    February 10, 2011
    • Tiffany

      Thanks Manu! I eat basil straight off of the stem, I love it so much! I considered putting pesto on my salad :), but then thought that would be a bit heavy … enter the vinaigrette! I hope you try and like it!

      February 12, 2011