Salad On A Stick? Oh yeah! Caprese Bites are everything you love about a caprese salad, tomatoes, basil and cheese, on a stick! That makes these perfect as a to-go salad or lovely on an appetizer tapas spread.
Caprese Tomato Salad
Ah, the lovely salads we derive from Italy!
Layers upon layers of tomatoes with fresh basil known to us a a Caprese salad.Â
Sometimes stacked in proper rows, tomato slices, Mozzarella slices, big fat basil leaves, and repeat and repeat. Makes for a lovely afternoon lunch with crusty Olive Bread.
But, a caprese salad is not what we are making.
Nope, we are heading over to my neck of the woods, into Kabob country! Sticks!
Salad On A Stick!
Salad on a stick?
Sometimes a little salad on a stick is all we are looking for. Favorite foods piled onto a stick.Â
Because I have a whimsical mind, when it comes to food, you might also enjoy my Salad In A Jar!
Another easy healthy way to enjoy a salad anywhere, any time.
Easy to pack in lunches.
Perfect for a Tapas Spread, picnic food, or an appetizer set out for game day when you want your loved-ones, or guests to have a little something healthy.Â
Caprese Bites
These Caprese Bites, are a take on the traditional Italian Caprese Salad, which is usually mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes.
However, these are made with spinach and goat cheese; deeply Mediterranean.
The perfect solution for a salad without all the mess, and dressing swimming at the bottom of a bowl!
The world of kabobs (ie food on sticks), is so much more interesting, portable and fun to eat; man, woman or child!
Making Caprese Bites On A Stick
Making these Caprese bites on a stick couldn’t be easier.
We will be using cherry tomatoes, so they simply get cut in half.Â
Adding a little extra measure of healthy ingredients, we will stack fresh raw spinach leaves onto the sticks.
Leaves And Cheese On Sticks
Instead of fresh basil leaves, we will be using fresh oregano leaves for a deeper aromatic flavor, and they hold up longer after being picked. Basil turns brown fast.Â
A Drunken Goat cheese is the perfect texture and flavor for these Caprese bites.
Of course, feta is the goat cheese most known in Mediterranean foods, but it crumbles too easily, especially when slid onto a stick.Â
Once the ingredients are put onto the bamboo sticks, a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of coarse sea salt, and they are ready to be placed onto a plate, platter, or packed for a to-go meal.Â
Looking For More Fun Food On A Stick?
Since my heritage is from that part of the world that loves to put food on sticks, I have more fun foods to share with you.
Actually, raising four kids as a single mom, I had to be fast, organized and creative if I wanted to feed my kids healthy foods.
For this reason, I took ‘food on sticks’ to a new level of creativity.
Here are just a few:
- Kofta Kabobs (of course) – which I also made on Guy’s Grocery Games and wow was it a hit!
- Pizza Kabobs – (told you I’m whimsical), with pizza dough cut in circles the same size as cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls and slide onto a stick.
- Shrimp and Grits Kabobs – which actually is polenta squares and shrimp slid onto sticks and so easy to serve a crowd.
Ingredients Needed
- Cherry tomatoes
- Spinach leaves
- Drunken Goat Cheese
- Oregano leaves
- Bamboo picks
- Olive oil
- Coarse salt
Equipment Needed
- Bamboo appetizer sticks – the type I use often is here
- Cutting board
- Serrated knife
- Serving platter
The Caprese Of Capri
Having spent time in the Isle of Capri myself, and indulged in absolutely everything that beautiful island had to offer, I wanted to give credit to the Caprese Salad, and not to me.
Notice anything in particular about the first appearance of the caprese salad?
The red of the tomato, the green of the basil and the white of the cheese are intended to reflect the colors of the Italian flag.
Caprese Bites – Salad On A Stick
Equipment
- Bamboo appetizer sticks
- Cutting board and knife
Ingredients
- 6 Cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 12 Spinach leaves
- 1/4 lb Drunken Goat Cheese cut into cubes
- 12 Fresh Oregano leaves
- 8 Bamboo appetizer sticks
- 1 tsp Olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place a bamboo stick through the cheese cubes first.
- Next slide the halved tomato, then the spinach leaf, and place the tiny oregano leaf on top of the cheese.
- Drizzle a little olive oil, and sprinkle a little salt and they are ready!
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.