Eating cool and refreshing foods during the dog days of summer can help to beat the heat. Recently, I came up with a simple salad that is refreshingly cool--perfect for the hot months of the year. Once you taste it, though, you will most likely want to incorporate this salad or some form of it into your meals all year long.

This salad in the summer months utilizes vegetables that are often coming out of gardeners' ears, so it's a good time to take advantage of the bounty.

I love the taste of fresh home-grown tomatoes in the summertime. Cucumbers--cool and crisp--also have a better flavor in the summertime. Adding fresh cilantro, whether grown yourself or purchased in the grocery store, adds a burst of flavor in this fresh summer salad.

You are in for a treat with this salad, especially if you are growing your own vegetables. If not, visit your local farmer's market, roadside vegetable stand, or beg from those who DO grow their own veggies. Tomatoes and cucumbers are plentiful during the gardening season. And cilantro, with its fragrant aroma and delectable flavor (one of my favorite spices) makes this salad come alive!

I love salads any time of the year, but it takes a while to put it all together when you include a lot of vegetables or additional items like eggs, bacon bits, croutons, or whatever else you can think of. One of the beauties of this salad is that very few items are included in it, and thus, besides being tasty and refreshing, it is also very quick to put together.



