Caprese Salad

      This is a fast and easy go-to dish for all those summer BBQs and pot-lucks.  Four ingredients, this nutritious vegan Caprese Salad looks totally classy but takes almost no effort.  Is there anything more quintessentially summer than tomatoes and basil?  (Yes, yes there is; watermelon ;-))

       This is also an incredibly fragrant dish.  It pairs brilliantly with veggie burgers, barbecue vegetables, and anything with grilled mushrooms.

Ingredients:
– Fresh Tomatoes – for prettiest results use multicolored heirloom tomatoes, especially cherry sized tomatoes.
– Fresh Basil – sweet basil or pineapple basil is best, though any variety will work. Do not use dried basil for this recipe.
– Olive Oil
– Balsamic Vinegar
– Optional: Garlic (powder, roasted, or minced from a jar – fresh might be too strong)

Use 1/4 cup chopped basil for every cup diced tomatoes.
Use 1 tbsp each oil and balsamic vinegar for every cup diced tomatoes.
Add garlic to taste, around 1 tsp for every tbsp oil.

Put the diced tomatoes in a bowl. Add the basil.  Sprinkle with oil and vinegar, adjusting to taste, stir just enough to evenly distribute the ingredients.  Dive in!  For best results, assemble right before serving.