July challenge

I've been a Weight Watchers member for about 16 months now. It's really a great plan, and I highly encourage anyone wanting to lose some extra pounds to seriously look into it. I also love the program because of my incredible leader. I've been to several meetings run by several incredible women, but Lanette truly is the best. Almost weekly, she has a new idea to keep us motivated.

For July, it's been eating more fruits and vegetables. Sounds simple, right? And it should be, especially this time of year. Surprisingly enough, it's not. I'm a picky eater (obviously) and I don't eat all vegetables. Take zucchini, for instance. It's a harmless enough veggie -- and it's probably Aaron's favorite. I, however, think it tastes like green styrofoam. There's others, such as green beans, that I'll eat if I'm served but won't choose on my own. And then there's bell peppers. I really think they smell delicious. But they make me sick as a dog if I eat them, even accidentally. That also tends to make me shy away from jalapenos and other spicy peppers.

Fruit, though, is a different story. With the exception of cantaloupe and honeydew melons, I will eat any fruit that comes my way. I'm even learning to like mango. In fact, I have a hard time keeping fruit in my house. My 4-year-old is fantastic about asking for a piece of fruit for a snack, and I find grabbing a nectarine or an orange is an easy treat to take to work.

I decided right away that I was going to take Lanette's challenge -- filling half my plate with vegetables -- seriously. My family was, too, even though they didn't know it. And for the first three or four days, we did great. We had lots of salads, and we threw some veggies (cauliflower, carrots and potatoes) on the grill another night.

But then it happened -- the inevitable downfall that usually hits me. I head back to the traditional convenient, one-dish meals that make up most of our dinner rotation. They're mostly prety healthy, but the vegetables they usually called include just a sauteed onion or a can of tomatoes or a cup or so of mushrooms. Good, but not great.

So after my meeting today, I steeled my resolve to continue filling my plate with veggies. I turned back to salads. But not just the kind with lettuce, carrots and a handful of cucumbers or radishes or whatever vegetable I have in the fridge. I tire of them much too easily. This time I found some that make other vegetables the star. I think it will make the challenge easier to accomplish.

This recipe is from the latest issue of Cook's Country magazine.

Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad

2 pints cherry (or grape) tomatoes, quartered

1/2 tsp. sugar

Salt

Black pepper

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and patted dry

1 cup chopped fresh basil

Toss tomatoes, sugar and 1/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Transfer tomatoes and any accumulated liquid to salad spinner and spin to remove seeds and liquid. Return tomatoes to bowl. Pour tomato liquid through fine-mesh strainer set over saucepan, pressing on solids to extract juice. (You should have abut 1/2 cup liquid.)

Add vinegar and garlic to pan with tomato liquid; simmer over medium heat until reduced to 3 tbsp., about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then whisk in oil.

Add cheese, basil and cooled dressing to bowl with tomatoes; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Cook's note: The magazine offered several suggestions on ways to vary this salad. Drop me an e-mail if you're interested in some of the others.

My mother-in-law served us this next recipe. It's incredible! It's from the latest issue of Sunset magazine.

Corn and Avocado Salad

6 ears corn
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 large avocado, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp. Champagne vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot of boiling water, cook corn until warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes. Rinse with cold water until cool.

Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, onion, avocado, and basil in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients to make the vinaigrette, whisking until blended.

Cut corn kernels off cobs and add to salad, then pour in vinaigrette and toss gently to combine.