I was at Trader Joes this week and had both tomatoes and mozzarella in my cart and the cashier looked at those items and said, “this is how I know it’s summer”. So true! Garden tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, with basil, is one of my favorite things to eat in the summer.

A friend gave me a beautiful bunch of purple basil and I have been working hard at using it up. I made this tomato and mozzarella salad with a simple balsamic vinegarette dressing. Pocket this recipe for those garden tomatoes that are currently ripening on the vine!

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
2 lbs tomatoes
8 oz fresh mozzarella
1 green onion
5-6 sprigs of fresh basil (purple or green)

DIRECTIONS:
1. To make the dressing, mix or blend together the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Chop tomatoes and mozzarella into bite-sized pieces. Chop the green onions and add to the tomatoes and mozzarella.
3. Dress, and toss gently.
4. Chop basil and add to the salad. Toss right before serving.