Basil Tomato Plate

I love "plates." That is, plates of food that go well together. Here we have fresh mozzarella  cheese, fresh basil, out of the garden tomatoes and a hearty garlic Italian bread. I drizzle the tomatoes and cheese with olive oil, balsamic vinegar (red wine vinegar is good, too) and fresh cracked pepper, the classic "Caprese" salad. I also put a little olive oil on the plate to dunk the bread in and you can also use "dipping spices"-usually basil, oregano, parmesean cheese, pepper and other herbs.

You can jazz this up-add olives, artichokes or prosciutto-(Italian ham). To keep it healthy though you might want to focus more on a fish (like anchovies, sardines or tuna) but I like this the way it is. If you really want to feel like you've eaten something rich-put all these ingredients except the bread in-between two slices of Focaccia bread. I prefer to eat this one at home as opposed to taking it to work, so I can also enjoy a great glass of red wine with it. This is good for you and heart-healthy, part of the "Mediterranean Diet". They say the people of Sardona, Italy often live to be well past 100. This is a great example as to why. Simple, inexpensive, yet healthy and tastes amazing-fills your belly and soul.

* I dont know about Sardona. I bet there is much more to it than their diet, however. I'm on the fence about fish because I do believe it is generally healthy and is the best way to get Omega 3's. On the flip side, finding a decent uncontaminated source may be a challenge. If you eat fish, I would limit it to a few times a month and keep it the least likely contaminated (meaning avoid tuna.) On this plate I'd also avoid the focaccia bread and would replace it with a grain bread. Ideally, you would be subbing the fresh mozzerella now for olives and other veggies. I hear rumors of some really good Vegan cheeses but I have not explored them myself. If you have, this would be a good dish to serve it with. And no olive oil but if you are a taste buds purist, you might use a dab merely for the actual taste here.