Turn a Caprese Salad into a Tasty Sandwich w/ this Easy Recipe #Giveaway #goodcookcom #goodcookkitchenexprt

Disclosure:  As a thank you for sharing one of my favorite sandwich recipes, the folks at good cook supplied me with their ultimate sandwich kit (the same kit I am doing a giveaway for).  However, all views shared are mine and mine alone.

How was your Father's Day? Did you end up having a cookout or taking Dad out to eat?  Because the weather was so nice, we had out Father's Day cookout on Saturday, and then instead of taking my husband out to eat Sunday, he asked me to make one of his favorite sandwich, which he calls "Not Your Mamma's Caprese Salad Sandwich."  I thought I would share this easy to make, and oh so tasty sandwich with you today.  With the warmer summer weather here, I opt for more crock pot meals and easy to whip up sandwich recipes when it comes to planning my weekly dinners, as I hate to spend hours prepping and cooking in the kitchen, all while heating up the house.  Not only are sandwiches easy to make, but they are one of my favorite things to experiment with.

The reason my husband gave this sandwich the name, "Not Your Mamma's Caprese Salad Sandwich," is because I had taken my Mom's caprese salad recipe, added a few more ingredients and put between two pieces of bread.  While I love salads during the summer, there is something about this recipe that makes it taste even better with bread.  Maybe it is because the bread gets soaked with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil?  Or, maybe it is because you can choose to put this sandwich in a panini press to make a melted caprese sandwich?  Mmm, I am getting hungry just thinking about the sandwich. :-)  But, for whatever reason, my version of a caprese salad, made into a sandwich, has become a hit amongst my friends and family, and especially my husband.  Whenever I ask what he wants as a meal each week, he usually requests this sandwich.  And, on special occasions, like his birthday and our anniversary, I like to make this sandwich for him, and serve it up alongside a batch of fresh potato chips or sweet potato fries.

Doesn't this sandwich look delicious? You can craft this recipe to your liking, by choosing the type of bread you want to use (ie. homemade bread, focaccia bread, ciabatta bread, etc.), as well as decide how many slices of tomatoes and mozzarella cheese you want to layer in between the two slices of bread.  Then, decide on if you want the cheese melted in a panini press, or eaten as is.  However, you choose to eat this sandwich, you will find yourself without leftovers and family and friends asking for the recipe. :-)

"Not Your Mamma's Caprese Salad Sandwich"

(Yields 6-8 sandwiches, depending on # of layers of cheese/tomato you use)

Ingredients:

1 TBSP. Balsamic Vinegar 
3-4 TBSP. Olive Oi
1 Bunch Fresh Basil (leaves only)
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper 
1 8-oz. Fresh Mozzarella Ball
1 Avocado
1 large hothouse tomato *or if in season, use red and yellow tomatoes for nice color contrast
1/2 cup Broccoli Sprouts (optional)
Bread of Your Choice *I like using Ciabatta or toasted white bread
      

Directions:

1.  Slice up tomatoes, avocado, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil. 
2. On a platter or large plate, begin layer the sliced ingredients...tomato, mozzarella, avocado.  Continue to repeat, making rows, until all sliced ingredients are used up.
3.  Sprinkle cut up fresh basil over the rows, and follow by drizzling the olive oil over the rows.
4.  Crack fresh ground pepper over the rows, and then sprinkle with broccoli sprouts.
5. Finish by drizzling rows with balsamic vinegar.  *I like to use flavored balsamic vinegars, like those found at Devo Oil, to give the Caprese salad a unique and unexpected flavor. :-)

6.  Chill Caprese salad until ready to eat, or at least 10-15 minutes, to give the sliced mozzarella, tomatoes and avocado time to soak up the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
7.  When ready to serve, choose your favorite sandwich bread, and layer Caprese salad mixture between bread.  *If I have time, I like to make a homemade Italian herb bread in the bread machine.  If not, I oftentimes use store-bought focaccio or ciabatta bread, or other bread from the bread aisle.  Right now, my husband loves getting white rice loaf, a gluten and dairy-free bread found at stores like Whole Foods.


What is your family's favorite sandwich?  While my girls will say hands down that they love their grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, my husband favors the more healthy/Vegetarian sandwiches.  He says he doesn't feel as guilty making a second sandwich, as he knows it is healthy. :-)  

I would love to hear about your favorite recipes, and have you share your recipes in the comments section below.  Summer is a great time to experiment with new sandwich recipes, I will definitely be trying out a few, which include a few adult grilled cheese sandwiches using flavorful cheeses.  And, if there are any leftovers, I will have a storage container to store them in thanks to the folks at Good Cook, who came out with the Ultimate Sandwich Kit, which you can enter to win below.

If you get a chance to try out my recipe for this easy Caprese Salad Sandwich, or tweak it to your family's liking, I would love to hear what you thought.  So, be sure to leave your comments below.

Don't forget to check out my fellow Good Cook Kitchen Experts, who also shared their favorite sandwich recipes, and are also holding a giveaway for 3 readers to win the good cook Ultimate Sandwich Kit.  You can see all the recipes here, with links to the individual blog posts:
 

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---GIVEAWAY---

Three (3) lucky reader will win the good cook Ultimate Sandwich kit, shown below --

To enter this giveaway, please complete the entries on the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

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Don't want to wait and see if you win 1 of the 3 Ultimate Sandwich kits from Good Cook?  I don't blame you!  Then, head on over to the good cook website now to order the complete sandwich kit here: http://www.goodcook.com/complete-sandwich-kit-c-291.html?zenid=e5thnmd8d9t1bg6dasdnff1g53.  

And, make sure you use promo code "DADWICH" to save 25% off your total order.  Act fast as this promo code is only valid for a limited time.

Disclosure:  As a thank you for sharing one of my favorite sandwich recipes, the folks at good cook supplied me with their ultimate sandwich kit (the same kit I am doing a giveaway for).  However, all views shared are mine and mine alone.