During the Summer I cannot get enough of all the fresh fruits and vegetables in my garden and at the road side stands. There are many healthy meals and snacks that are made from those fruits and vegetables, and then there are some not so healthy, delicious, old fashioned dessert recipes that one must absolutely make in the Summer as well! To kind of balance out my over indulgences of fresh fruit pies, cobblers and shortcakes, I decided to get back to my “vegetables for lunch” routine. Eating just vegetables for lunch allows me to really get a good dose of those good for you vitamins and minerals you need everyday, and allows me to make good use of all the produce that is coming out of my garden this time of year.
This Summer Garden Salad is loaded with fresh veggies right from the garden. My father in law was telling me the other day how he’s been putting just about every kind of vegetable onto his salads. He (or my mother in law 🙂 ) chops the veggies really small and then adds them to a bed of lettuce. It’s a simple and great way to fill up and get your “5 a day” in!
I have been a little overwhelmed with the harvest from my garden, trying to freeze and prepare dishes ahead of time so nothing goes to waste, so I thought it would be great to use all of my garden veggies in a salad. I used fresh lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers and beans that were just harvested from my garden and started chopping! Of course you can add whatever is plentiful in your own gardens this time of year.
This salad was so colorful and pretty. My children didn’t mind eating it at all either because everything, with the exception of the lettuce (which IS under those veggies- I promise) was in bite sized pieces. This is the freshest, most delicious salad I’ve had in a long time. Add your favorite dressing and you’ve got yourself one healthy lunch or side. Now I made these salads individually, but I think this would be a beautiful dish to bring along to a family picnic or get together don’t you?
Ingredients
- Fresh Lettuce
- Fresh Vegetables from your Summer Garden, chopped into bite sized pieces
- I like to use zucchini, squash, beans, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and cucumbers.
- Your favorite dressing
Instructions
- Place your fresh lettuce in a bowl, and add your fresh, chopped vegetables.
- Serve with your favorite dressing.
- *You can always chop your veggies on the weekend, to have them ready to go throughout the week too! This also makes a great dish to pass for a family picnic or get together!
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