Summer Veggie Extravaganza

Gluten-Free Fresh Tomato Salad

Gluten-Free Chicken Salad Filled Tomato

Summer is a glorious time for combining vegetables into delicious, quick creations! My garden was sort  of a bust this year with the drought, but it is amazing how certain things will actually seem to do better in the extreme heat. For instance I am not getting nearly as many tomatoes as I normally do, but these little yellow light bulb looking tomatoes went crazy. Most of my berries were a no show, but blackberries enjoyed the heat. Even if you don't have a garden this is a great time to shop the sales and farmer's markets and make sure you are getting your 5 servings a day of fruits and vegetables. I try to get 7-9 servings which helps to keep your blood pressure down. Plus veggies and fruit are easy, naturally gluten-free foods.

The first picture shows a variety of tomatoes with fresh basil and a little olive oil and rice wine vinegar. I was wishing for some fresh mozzarella, but I improvised with a cut up piece of string cheese! Classy!

The second picture shows what you can do with a leftover chicken breast (made 2 tomatoes). I mixed the cut-up chicken with mayo and Greek yogurt (I always use half and half), a dash of Dijon mustard, some chopped celery and onion, and salt and pepper. I like to cut the bottom off of the tomato and scoop it out. But first I trim a small slice off the top (not all the way through) just so it sits flat. That way you can eat the whole thing and not be messing around with the stem end-like I had to do in a fancy restaurant.

All of my life I have been an artist. When I was in my forties and told everyone that I was going back to school they all would ask if I were studying art. Oh, no I said. I am studying science, chemistry and nutrition. Since I do have quite a sense of humor I think most people thought I was kidding at first. I had a goal of being a dietitian before I turned 50, and two weeks before my 50th birthday I passed my national boards. It's funny how things work out. Being an artistic person has helped me immensely in my nutrition career. Anyone who is involved with food, whether it be a chef, cookbook author or blogger needs to be very creative. The colors of fruits and vegetables inspire me more than anything else. I never had trouble getting my kids to eat fruits and veggies as I always made them into pretty creations and also got them to help with the garden. Remember, Cooking is Fun!