All Those Greens

Spurred on by the memory of images of the contents of Tera Warner's fridge which she posted a while back, upon returning from a trip to the produce market, I shot a few frames of my refrigerator. Stuffing in all those greens is often a challenge.

More local items and more variety are some of the benefits of summer's arrival. Here in Florida the heat and humidity make eating a mostly raw foods diet very advantageous.

Simple salads, plates of sliced veggies with interesting dips, cold blender soups, big fruit salads and icy cold smoothies are all great ways to keep cool while eating our way to slim bodies filled with vibrant energy. Not to mention the added benefits of including all that fine nutrition.

No need to dirty pots and pans, just wash and prep the produce, find some interesting sauces and dressings and enjoy!

Here are a couple of quickies:

Easy Cucumber Salad

1. Peel and slice 2 cucumbers (deseed if needed).

2. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 TBS honey; 2 TBS rice wine vinegar; 1/2 tsp salt; a dash (or more to taste) of crushed red pepper (optional).

3. Toss the sliced cucumbers in the dressing, then transfer to a covered glass container and refrigerate until ready to use.

These are terrific as a side dish or drain and toss in a mixed salad.

Avocado and Lemon Dressing

1.Place washed mixed greens in a large salad bowl,

2.Dice half a ripe avocado, and if you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty, massage the avocado into and over the greens, leaving some hunks. A fork does the job, too.

3.Toss in other ingredients of choice (such as sliced onions, shaved carrots, sliced red pepper, slivered cauliflower, etc.) then toss all with 1 - 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (or to taste). Adding a handful of nuts to your salads adds a flavorful punch as well as providing texture and more good fat. A generous sprinkling of mixed sea vegetables adds another layer of flavor and is a good source for minerals.

And for those still hung up on having enough protein, toss in some cooked beans. Black beans and fresh corn with tomatoes are great with avocado dressed greens.

Fill the fridge with fresh produce. Experiment, explore, enjoy!