This salad is so much better with fresh ingredients from the local farmers market. But plum tomatoes are meaty enough to bring a hint of summer to your meal any time of the year. Any salad greens or mesclun combination can serve as the base layer. Be sure to have some crusty bread on hand so as not to waste that tasty vinaigrette.

Ingredient list for 2 servings

• 2 large fresh, ripe plum tomatoes
• ¼ - ½ pound fresh mozzarella cheese
• 10 large basil leaves
• 4 - 6 young, tender bok choy leaves
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• Salt and pepper to taste

• Slice each tomato into 5 rounds and the mozzarella into 10 slices.
• Layer salad greens onto 2 serving plates.
• Arrange tomato slices on leaves, mozzarella on tomatoes and basil leaves on cheese.
• Drizzle with vinegar and oil; sprinkle with dried basil, salt and pepper.

Note: Remember, cold destroys fresh tomatoes' flavor. So if you had to keep them cold, warm them up on the counter for a few hours before assembling this salad.