It is officially my second favorite cooking time of the year.  The time when home grown tomatoes are in full effect.  Friends, theres a small chance I may go overboard these next few weeks.  If you are not a tomato-lover, you should be ashamed of yourself I apologize for my overindulgence here on the blog.  If you are a tomato-lover, you are in luck because I vow to celebrate these little gems as best I can and share the party with you.

Quite honestly my hopes were not too high this year for tomatoes considering we had such a crummy spring but my gosh I am so pleasantly surprised.  The ones we got this past weekend at our favorite summer produce spot were perfect enough to be eaten as apples, which is exactly what we did.  This is an old clip but I must tell you that tomato love is hereditary.  This is sort of how it went down this weekend…and I feel safe saying she ate hers a lot more gracefully than I.

This dish is a great way to celebrate the home grown goodness of tomatoes and makes the perfect compliment to just about any grilled entree.  It’s simple, healthful and so satisfying.

Eggplant Caprese Stacks

Note:  The eggplant can be served in this dish either warm or at room temperature

Ingredients

1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

3 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil

1 Medium Eggplant, sliced 1/2 inch thick

Sliced Home Grown Tomato

Sliced Avocado (sliced horizontally)

Sliced Fresh Mozzarella

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 and brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until both sides are nicely browned, flipping halfway through.  Remove from oven and cool slightly.

In a small bowl combine balsamic vinegar, dijon, salt, pepper and basil.  Stream in 1/4 cup olive oil while whisking until the vinaigrette is well combined.  Set aside.

To assemble stacks place 1 piece of eggplant on a plate.  Top with a tomato slice, avocado slice, mozzarella slice and a drizzle of the vinaigrette.