One of my most-made salads on A Veggie Venture, raw chopped vegetables tossed with Italian dressing, fresh herbs and just a spoonful of cheese. Quick and adaptable. Low carb. Weight Watchers 1 point. This easy summer salad is another winner from our family cookbook , this time from cousin Michelle. And is it EVER great! It's fresh, it's simple, it takes only 10 minutes to put together, it only takes a bowl and a knife and a cutting board AND it's low in calories. And very good!! What more could you want, really? This salad may be a "for Instance" recipe that lends itself to variation. [8/10/05 Update: It does. See Day 117 .] So whether creativity (ahh, what about some garlic?) or necessity (hmmm, that broccoli needs using up) are the order of the day, do try this! 2007 Update: Turns out, this is a "recipe" I make again and again because it is so eminently adaptable. Just chop some fresh vegetables! Me, I particularly like the texture combination of

A simple corn chowder recipe, packed with our favorite fresh summer vegetables like onion, carrot, red pepper, potato and sweet potato and of course, the soup's real star, kernels of sweet corn. As bright and colorful as crates of fresh vegetables lined up at the farmstand. Perfect for CSA members because the corn chowder recipe uses so many fresh vegetables, all at once. This recipe has moved! Please visit Summer's Best Corn Chowder for the updated recipe!

Simple sautéed grape or cherry tomatoes, cooked just until they burst, tossed with green onion and fresh parsley. So simple, so worthwhile! ~recipe & photo updated 2010~ 2005: How simple, how delicious! And the sautéed combination of green onion and parsley is really nice. Yes, just nice! This isn't over-the-top food though I wouldn't hesitate to serve it to company either. The plump globes of tomato even look a tiny bit sophisticated in a Whole Foods kind of way. Raw, tonight's grape tomatoes are as sweet as candy. (For local followers, I get them at the Eckert's stand at the Kirkwood farmers market. I also love the cherry tomatoes from the Scharf booth at Soulard on Saturdays.) At my house, they sit out in bowls for the taking, just like my grandmothers used to leave out sweets. I suspect that this dish is only as good as its tomatoes so mid-winter, hard-ball tomatoes from the grocery might disappoint. I'm no fanatic about buying locally but when it comes to

My lighter and almost virtuous version of the broccoli salad that shows up at church potlucks and family gatherings all summer long, a real crowd favorite. ~recipe & photo updated 2010~ 2005: How I missed this favorite salad from so many years of church potlucks, who knows! But I've got it now! When friends of my parents brought a bowl of this broccoli and bacon salad along for supper last month, I couldn't get enough – and was I ever glad they were going on vacation and thus wanted to leave the leftovers behind. I was assured that there'd be recipes in every church cookbook. Turns out, there were two recipes, one from my own sister! right there in the family cookbook we published three years ago. 2010 Update: My sister's broccoli salad recipe already used far less mayonnaise than most broccoli salads, especially those from the grocery store which are thick-thick-thick with gloppy mayonnaise. But I've lightened it further still by using a favorite new technique

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!