Danica's Daily

Every day is a new adventure to be healthy

  • About
    • Contact
  • Recipes
  • SmartPoints
  • Simply Filling
  • Menus
  • Travels
  • Beyond The Blog

POM Summer Series: Bruschetta & Caprese Salads with a Pomegranate Balsamic Reduction

July 5, 2010 by DanicasDaily 10 Comments

This week’s POM Summer Series recipe is all about SALADS!!!  I LOVE summertime because at all of the Farmer’s Markets that you can get amazing fresh and flavorful produce.  Tomatoes of all types are one of my favorite things to snack on all summer long especially when they are straight from farm to table. 

My favorite tomato by far are big, colorful and funky looking Organic Heirloom tomatoes!  They have such a great tomato flavor, super thick/meaty and incredibly versatile.

I figured why make just one SALAD with these beauties when you can make TWO!

IMG_5924

TIP FOR ORGANICS:

I honestly believe in using organic foods whenever possible as they have so much FLAVOR and are 100% better for you.  However, I know this isn’t realistic for everyone so the main thing to remember when picking organic is this:

If the fruit or vegetable has a skin you EAT, then, pick organic! Isn’t that easier than trying to remember the Dirty Dozen and which to pick/not pick.

 

BRUSCHETTA WITH A POM BALSAMIC REDUCTION

IMG_6002

BALSAMIC SYRUP

1/2 cup Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup POMWonderful Pomegranate Juice

1 Bay Leaf

3 Whole Peppercorns

1 Fresh Thyme Sprig or a few dashes of dried thyme

Combine all the above ingredients in a small stainless steel sauce pan over low heat.  Simmer reducing the mixture until it is about 1/3 cup.  Remove from heat, strain and place in the fridge to cool.  The sauce will thicken as it cools.

TOASTED BAGUETTE BITES

1  Baguette, slice thin into 1/4 inch slices

1 Tbsp Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling

Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place your baguette slices on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  Bake until slightly golden and crispy, about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool

TOMATO BRUSCHETTA

2 lbs Heirloom tomatoes, diced into ~ 1/4 inch cubes

Handful basil, ~ 6-7 leaves. sliced into ribbons

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Tbsp POMWonderful Pomegranate Juice

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 lemon, zested

Combine the above ingredients and chill in the fridge until ready to use.

TO ASSEMBLE

Place your crunchy bruschetta slices and place them on a plate.  Top them with a heaping tablespoon of your Tomato Bruschetta.  Drizzle a small amount of your Pomegranate balsamic reduction syrup  Sprinkle with a good quality rock sea salt.  Enjoy!

**MIX IT UP: You can add a layer of fresh mozzarella in between the Bread and the Bruschetta or sprinkle some freshly shaved parmesan on top.

STEP-BY-STEP

Start out by preparing your simple POM Balsamic Reduction.

IMG_5934

Combine your POM Juice & Balsamic Vinegar and pour into a small sauce pan over medium low heat.

IMG_5937

Add your aromatics ~ Bay leaf, peppercorns and Thyme (I used Lemon Thyme from our garden).

IMG_5939

Simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the POM/Balsamic mixture reduces to 1/3 of a cup.  Strain and cool in the fridge.  It will thicken more as it cools.

IMG_5962

While your reduction is “cooking”, take your crusty baguette and thinly slice into 1/4 inch or less pieces.  You want to be sure that you slice it really thin otherwise when toasted it will be too hard to bite into and give you Captain Crunch mouth 🙂

IMG_5942

Drizzle your baguette slices with olive oil, sea salt & freshly ground black pepper.  Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes until slightly browned and crunchy.

IMG_5947

This is one reason I LOVE Heirlooms – Check out all their fun colors – the inside is the BEST part!

IMG_1715

Chop your tomatoes into 1/4 inch cubes.

IMG_5953

Top with basil and garlic.

IMG_5959

Add your olive oil, balsamic and pomegranate juice.

IMG_5960

Plus the zest of one lemon.  Stir to combine and chill until ready to use.

IMG_5965

Assemble by topping each slice with a heaping tablespoon of bruschetta, sea salt & a little drizzle of of your Pomegranate Balsamic Reduction.

IMG_5999

Dig in and ENJOY!  You don’t have to share if you don’t want to 😀

IMG_5994

I have to admit as much as I LOVE Bruschetta, the first thing that comes to mind when I see BIG, JUICY, HEIRLOOM TOMATOES is CAPRESE SALAD.

It might be the tomatoes or it might just be FRESH MOZZARELLA!!!!

IMG_6006

CHEESE makes the world a better place! 😀 I LOVE CHEESE!

IMG_6007

Caprese salad is really simple to make.  All you have to do is slice your mozzarella, tomatoes and basil.

IMG_6009

Place them on a bed of organic mixed greens and top with a little rock sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

IMG_6013

When ready to serve, drizzle with the Pomegranate Balsamic Reduction that you made above.

IMG_6033

Or serve it on the side and let everyone add their own drizzle.

IMG_6022

This salad is awesome as a meal, as a side and definitely when served up with Bruschetta!

IMG_6023IMG_6024

Be sure to visit the kitchens of the other POM Series Chefs to find out what else is on the menu for week 2 of the Summer of POM:

* Kitchen Confidante

* Fitness & Spice

* Being Chelsea

*******************************************************************************************************

SUMMER OF POM RECIPES

POM Summer Series Badge

WEEK 1 SUMMER OF POM ~ SUMMER BERRY POM~TINI

Check back next Monday for MY ENTREE RECIPE made up with POM!!!

Share
Pin
Tweet
0 Shares

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Appetizers, Salads

« Well, that’s the first time I ever……
$10 Richer! :D »

Recent Posts

  • My WW – Weight Watchers 2020 Programs
  • Alston Park, Napa Hike & Weekly Menu
  • Weekly Menu

Comments

  1. 1

    Mary @ What's Cookin' with Mary says

    July 5, 2010 at 11:40 am

    What great recipes ! I was just thinking yesterday about making a blueberry balsamic redction to go over grilled, well… anything 😉

    Reply
  2. 2

    Liren says

    July 5, 2010 at 2:03 pm

    Danica, this looks delicious! We enjoyed a Caprese salad over the holiday weekend, and your balsamic reduction would have been absolutely perfect! I will be making this for sure, perhaps today, actually. And we love bruschetta, too 🙂 Yum!

    Enjoy the final hours of your Fourth of July long weekend!

    Reply
  3. 3

    BroccoliHut says

    July 5, 2010 at 5:50 pm

    Gorgeous! Looks like it came straight out of a magazine!

    Reply
  4. 4

    Ash Bear says

    July 5, 2010 at 6:44 pm

    I really, really want to make this one night this week. Maybe I’ll make it tomorrow night to accompany our grilled salmon!

    Reply
  5. 5

    Josie says

    July 5, 2010 at 11:06 pm

    Ok girly…I am soo making this thursday night at mom’s in Ventura! She has her farmers market on wed so I will tell her get some heriloms…I have basil growing in my garden can’t wait to eat it!! I found fruit flakes at TJ have you tryed them 1pt…they are tasty. Oh and I love the yougurt stars all my friends loved them too!!
    Jos

    Reply
  6. 6

    Joanna Sutter (Fitness & Spice) says

    July 6, 2010 at 9:25 am

    Dang! You’re good! I love bruschetta and with POM in the mix, I just might marry it! 😉

    Reply
  7. 7

    Mika says

    July 6, 2010 at 11:19 am

    Oh my, my mouth is watering, really…I like the idea of balsamic pomegranate reduction…so flavourful..

    Reply
  8. 8

    Jen says

    July 7, 2010 at 2:54 pm

    This looks AMAZING!!! What a wonderful representation of garden fresh veggies, Balsamic vinegar and delightful MOZZARELLA cheese!! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stay Connected

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Danica

Whether she’s enjoying a dish at a local restaurant or whipping up a crowd-pleasing, nutritious meal at home, Danica has a passion for all things food. She believes in and follows the Weight Watchers principle of “all things in moderation” and chronicles her culinary adventures here. Besides sharing her daily eats and tasty, nutritious recipes, Danica connects others seeking a healthier lifestyle on her site and shares her travel adventures around the world.

Free Daily Updates

Search the Site!

Categories

Blast from the past

Search by category

Appetizers Avocado Bacon Beans Beef Breads Cake Casserole Chicken Chocolate Cookies Cupcakes Eggs Fish Gluten Free Holiday How To's Ice Cream Kale Mexican Muffins Oatmeal Pancakes Pasta Pizza Pork Potatoes Salad Salads Sauces Sausage Shrimp Slow Cooker Smoothies Snacks Soup Soups Squash Treats Turkey Vegan Vegetables Vegetarian Waffles Wraps

Stay Connected!


Subscribe to email updates from Danicas Daily

Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram

Recent Posts

  • My WW – Weight Watchers 2020 Programs
  • Alston Park, Napa Hike & Weekly Menu
  • Weekly Menu
  • Weekend Highlights & Weekly Menu
  • Just give in…

Get Caught Up!

February 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728  
« Nov    

Copyright © 2023 · Privacy Policy · Website Hosted by Servously Premium Wordpress Hosting