Recipe: Tomato Mozzarella Salad with Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar

I am a condiment-addict and since I have been walking with my neighbor, I decided to also adjust my diet.  I am not dieting per say but rather I am cutting out things where I can and making substitutions.  One way for example I am cutting calories is either not using condiments or just using a little bit.

Nakano all natural Rice Vinegar is unsweetened and contains no sodium.  It is actually made from whole grain rice and naturally brewed in a manufacturing process that began in Japan more than 200 years ago.  Oh and Nakano Natural Rice Vinegar has no sugar, zero calories, no fat, and is even gluten free.

There are also flavors of Nakano Rice Vinegars that sweeten up and dress up dishes, including Roasted Garlic, Basil & Oregano, Red Pepper, Pesto, Balsamic Blend and Italian Herb.  These flavors are low calorie, contain no fat, gluten free, no preservatives and have 50% less sodium than the competition.

I actually have never tried Nakano Rice Vinegar before and was excited to try it out as a substitute to my useful heavy dressings and other condiments.  I admit I was hesitant because I didn’t see how something that looked like an oil would give my food much flavor, but it was amazing and I will now be incorporating Nakano into more of my recipes!

I could really eat salads anytime of the year all day long, and one of my favorites is a tomato mozzarella salad from Panera Bread, but I have yet to be able to re-create it.  Once I added the Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar Roasted Garlic, it was perfect!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup NAKANO Natural Rice Vinegar (I used the Roasted Garlic flavor)
• 1 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2  (16 oz.) loaf French bread,
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Mix everything in the bowl and serve!

This is seriously my new favorite summertime recipe and as long as I can always find good tomatoes, I will probably make this salad year round!  The Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar is the perfect light dressing to give it flavor but not overpower it and it doesn’t soak the bread either so it doesn’t get mushy.

Nakano has also launched the 60-day walking challenge on Facebook.  The Facebook App encourages participants to eat more veggies and become more active.  There are features such as a step tracker wrapping around the globe that will show followers the number of steps walked so far, healthy eating tips and fitness tips.  Nakano is even offering prizes including a free gym membership, personal training and workout bag.

Finally, sign up for the Splash for Cash to check out recipes and blog features .  Each month a Splash subscriber has the chance to win $150!

RECIPES:  Check out Mizkan.com/recipes to find more yummy recipes!

Mom and More Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Nakano and received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.  Please see my Disclosure Policy.