Eat Your Veggies: DIY Gazpacho Salad

What better time than the heart of summer to make healthy changes to your daily diet? This is second in a series of how to eat better so you can live better each and every day. 







I have a new hobby: rediscovering cookbooks. Even though there are cooking shows as well as the Internet which is full of sites (including Pinterest) to find a plethora of recipes, I still enjoy turning the pages of cookbooks that I have collected during my 32 years of marriage. My first cookbook was given to me by my grandmother: The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. She gave it to me for Christmas in 1978 to add to my “cedar chest” collection. (Do girls today even have cedar chests?)  Back in the day, it was the bible of cookbooks. Through the years, I’ve collected cookbooks from churches, community groups, and my kids’ schools. Occasionally, I would purchase cookbooks for “fads” I was interested in. When I first embarked on a healthy lifestyle of eating low fat, around 1998, I purchased the cookbook Set For Life which promoted an eating style of Eat More, Weigh Less, Feel Terrific. Who doesn’t want that?  I learned about the cookbook when I attended a class taught by the authors (a mother-daughter team) Jane P. Merrill and Karen M. Sunderland. They were enthusiastic and encouraging regarding their step-by-step plan for eating healthy every day. 

I’ve used some of their recipes throughout the years; they have become family favorites. But I never really immersed myself in the cookbook. Well, since I started this month following more closely my Tip #1 for healthy eating, Take Advantage of Summer’s Bounty of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, I decided to delve more closely into this cookbook. I was pleasantly surprised at what it had to offer to help me achieve this tip. I recently tried their recipe for Gazpacho Salad and liked it so much, I just had to share. Enjoy!!!