Mini Caprese Salad Appetizers

These adorable mini caprese salad cherry tomato appetizers are made from three simple seasonal gluten free ingredients: cherry tomatoes which I grow in my yard, fresh pearl size or larger size fresh mozzarella balls, and fresh green garden basil which I also. This is a perfect summer last minute appetizer. It requires no cooking, is vegetarian and of course gluten free. It can be assembled in just minutes!

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes with tiny little  Mozzarella pearls

The inspiration to make these mini appetizers was the result of the two flourishing cherry tomatoes plants and a large fresh basil plant that I am growing in containers on my balcony.

My Cherry Tomato Plant

I love to grow cherry tomato plants because they grow very quickly, are extremely prolific,and the fruit ripens quickly. The first fruit offerings are usually ready to eat by the beginning of July, and the hearty plants will keep providing lots of little tomato jewels through the end of September. Yum.. fast, easy, and nutritious!

Ingredients:
1 container of cherry tomatoes, washed
1 container of tiny mozzarella balls , drained and marinated in the dip
3 sprigs of fresh basil

Dip:
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Using a serrated knife, cut a small sliver off the bottom of the cherry tomato to allow it to sit on the plate. Then cut the top off of the cherry tomato and scoop out the insides. Stuff tomato with a marinated Pearl sized or larger mozzarella ball and a piece of fresh basil. Drizzle with oil and vinegar and enjoy! If you are like my husband who doesn't care for vinegar, substitute freshly squeezed lemon juice in place of the vinegar.

                            

                             

If you like Caprese salad, you will love these cherry tomato mini appetizers which give you the same delicious taste as a finger food. For variations, I sometimes stuff the tomato with spreadable feta cheese or garlicky hummus for a dairy free version. The possibilities are endless.


How to Grow Cherry Tomatoes in Containers
This past May, I went to a local nursery and bought two tiny little cherry tomato plants and a large bag of organic potting soil. I divided the soil between two large containers and planted my tiny tomato plants, one in each container. I placed the containers on my balcony, watered them daily, and in just a few weeks they were covered with tiny clusters of flower blossoms, and the plant had quadrupled in size. The plants grew so tall , we had to actually tie and stake them to posts to keep the stalks from breaking.

Disclaimer: Beware ! Cherry tomatoes grow like weeds and can pop up anywhere. If you drop a cherry tomato on the ground this summer, it could turn into a cherry tomato plant next season.

For example: We did not plant this hearty cherry tomato plant that is in the picture below. Someone threw a cherry tomato into the bushes last summer. This summer a cherry tomato plant popped up right in the middle of one of our bushes!.

Look what happened to us: This cherry tomato plant is growing through one of our bushes!     

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