Hey, guys! Today's your lucky day because you've just found one of my very favorite summer salads! It's a simple summer concoction of meaty French lentils combined with summer-ripe tomatoes and other vegetables for a hearty, healthy salad. And even more good news? The recipe is "lightened up" with no oil — and no missing it! Fresh & Seasonal. Great for Meal Prep. Weight Watchers Friendly & Freestyle Friendly. Low Fat. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Naturally Gluten Free. Low Carb. Low Fat.

A repeat of the wonderful tomato-bread salad called Panzanella, except this time, without blanching the tomatoes. Since making My First Panzanella last month, I knew that tomato + bread + stuff was the making of a meal, start to finish, tip to tail, top to toe. And so tonight it was. Supper. This time I skipped blanching, peeling and seeding the tomatoes. This time I skipped the grill to toast the bread under the broiler. In fifteen minutes flat: a feast. Was something special lost in speed? Yes. No. Yes and no. It's not that one is better than the other. It's that they're nearly two different salads. Where My First Panzanella is somehow plain and pure, My Quick Panzanella is plain and practical. They're both delicious. They're both keepers.

Yup. These are mushrooms still leftover from way back on Day 98 (portobellos sure last longer than buttons, these were still fat and happy) and broiled in the dressing from Day 108 . Warm from the broiler and tangy with vinaigrette, they tasted good next to the creamy avocado (also leftover), sliced tomatoes (perfectly good!) and a thin layer of the mayonnaise mix from Day 106 . And the leftover mushrooms? Yup. They're the latest additions to leftover leftover-soup, that is, yesterday's Saturday Soup . This, too, shall end. But my frig is sure lookin' good!

Saturday Soup is such a great way to use up leftovers, there was no NOT making it tonight, a Tuesday. This batch -- no two are ever the same -- included, along with the requisite bacon grease and onion: real borscht cooked by a real Russian some of Friday's fish some celery sauteed with the onion for nice crunch the last swallow of chilled zucchini soup a few garbanzo beans from the chickpea chipotle salad some shriveled tomato slices some near-dead mushrooms a few slices of nectarine pieces too woody to eat the other day and which I would have thrown away but the Russian, of a Greatest Generation age, insisted they go in the frig for later and am I ever glad she did (never had soup with fruit before? luscious!) some chipotle glaze from Saturday's grilled chicken a few bites of hearts of palm from Friday's salad a hard-boiled egg even some leftover avocado. See what I mean about getting rid of leftovers? And because everything's already cooked

A quick and easy way to make a caprese salad, that's the traditional Italian combination that starts with good summer tomatoes (don't even bother making this if the tomatoes aren't special ...) with fresh basil and a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar. Weight Watchers PointsPlus 3. Low Cal. Low Carb. Gluten Free. Vegetarian. And yeah, of course, totally tasty! ~recipe & photo updated 2015~ ~ more recently updated recipes ~ BACK IN 2005: The Balsamic Vinaigrette recipe is one I picked up many years ago but have never made before. It's a traditional dressing for "caprese" salad, that's the ever-so-varied combinations of tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil. (It would have been great on Day 87's Fresh Tomato & Mozzarella , too. Tonight I tossed about half the Balsamic Vinaigrette with grape tomatoes from the farmers market that were indeed as sweet as grapes and fresh mozzarella. 2015 UPDATE: Ten years! I'm still half-stunned albeit pleased

The Russian-born lady at our table asked, "Pleez, what is B L T?" So for all the native Polish, Israeli, Malaysian, Australian, French, Swedish, Spanish, Portugese, Taiwanese, Indian and others who visit this site on occasion -- thank you! and please know that while BLT may be an acronym for Bacon, Lttuce and Tomato in sandwich form, what it stands for is one of summer's great indulgences. Here are the essentials: Good bread, often toasted -- in this case a salty focaccia (that worked better the first day, when it was fresh, than the third, when it was tough) but a whole grain slice will work great, as would a firm, cottage-style white bread or even a large soft white roll Thick-cut bacon -- fried crisp (be sure to pour off the bacon fat to store in the frig for later) -- consider cooking extra for this corn chowder or this broccoli salad Mayonnaise -- in this case, 5 tablespoons of Hellman's Light tossed with 3 tablespoons of chopped chive and tablespoon