Fresh herbs, sweet tomatoes, peppy balsamic mayo..... this caprese sandwich is my new favorite! I mix up a little vegenaise, a sprinkle of granulated garlic, a dash of black pepper and balsamic vinegar to make a spread for the focaccia bread and top it with slices of mozzarella and tomatoes, add a bit of shredded basil and a drizzle of EVOO. 

Tips to get you started:

• I use vegenaise because of the texture and because it is vegetarian, a regular mayonnaise or olive oil based mayonnaise would work well too.

• I make my foccacia from scratch, but it can be purchased at most store bakeries. Looking for a good recipe? Here’s the one I’ve been using, it is super easy! https://www.theopenbookcook.com/blog/herbed-focacciahttps/wwwtheopenbookcookcom/blog-page-url/new-post-title

Prep time: 10-20 minutes

Cook time: 0-5 minutes

Makes 2 sandwiches

2 Tablespoons Vegenaise

Ingredients:

1 Teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Dash of granulated garlic

Dash of black pepper

4 large fresh basil leaves

4 slices fresh mozzarella

1 on the vine tomato

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

2 pieces of herbed foccacia, approximately 4x4 inches each

Part one: For the balsamic mayo spread, in a small bowl, combine vegenaise, balsamic vinegar, garlic, black pepper and mix thoroughly. Set aside while you complete the next steps.

Part two: Slice the tomato horizontally into 1/4 inch slices. Slice the foccacia in half horizontally. Tear up fresh basil leaves.

Part three: Evenly spread the inside of the slices of foccacia with the balsamic mayo spread. Place two slices of mozzarella on one side of the foccacia for each sandwich. (Optional delicious version: pop the focaccia slices with spread and mozzarella in the toaster oven for about 2 minutes to crisp up the bread and melt the mozzarella before proceeding with the fresh ingredients). Layer on the desired number of tomato slices.

Part four: Place a few pieces of torn basil on top of the tomatoes and drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil.

Serving suggestion: I like to toast mine a little bit and at the very end grind a small amount of black pepper over the top of the basil and EVOO. This is great on its own or with a bowl of gazpacho or tomato soup!

Tiny chefs in the kitchen? They can help:

• Tear the basil

• Layer on the mozzarella and tomatoes

• Mix the balsamic mayo spread