Avocado Strawberry Caprese

Happy Friday, friends! I just tried my first recipe out of the Love & Lemons cookbook and I can't stop raving about every dish and each beautiful photograph within its pages. Love & Lemons is a mostly vegetarian cooking blog that recently came out with the best book filled to the brim with fresh, easy, colourful recipes. Just to give you an idea of how wonderful this book is, the blog has won Saveur's Best Cooking Blog Award (basically the Oscars of food blogging) and the New York Times Book Review said that "happiness itself is tossed into every bowl". Serisouly. So. Good.

The cookbook is organized in alphabetical order by main ingredient (apple to zucchini) which I love because when I'm thinking of what to cook for dinner I usually start by thinking of one main vegetable or fruit that I have in the fridge and then build off of that main ingredient. Some of the recipes I'm really excited about are:

• Blackberry Basil Bruschetta
• Brussels Sprout Breakfast Tostadas
• Carrot Gazpacho with Lemongrass
• Grilled Mexican Corn Salad
• Butternut Squash & Black Bean Enchiladas

... and so many more!! I think this book is going to need a more permanent spot on my cookbook shelf.

Today, I made the Avocado Strawberry Caprese Salad and it was the perfect light lunch. You could serve it on a bed of quinoa or kale if you wanted a heartier meal or how good would it be alongside a yummy quiche for brunch?

Ingredients

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1 cup halved mini mozzarella balls (I just tore up a big ball of fresh mozzarella)

1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced

1/3 cup pecans, toasted

1/3 cup loosely packed basil, torn

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. In a small saucepan, bring the balsamic vinegar to a high simmer over medium heat. Stir, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vinegar has thickened and reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Place the strawberries, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, avocado, pecans, and basil in a shallow bowl or on a platter. Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Gently toss. Drizzle with the reduced balsamic.