FILLING: Water-dense foods take up volume in our stomachs, thereby reducing cravings
BURSTING WITH ANTIOXIDANTS: Vegetables offer molecules that zap harmful free radicals, interfering with disease.
EASY: Just chop and add water and…oh, you’re done.

WATERMELON SOUP

Adapted from A Culinary Journey, Exotic Kosher Cuisine, by Shari Bar Kochva (Xpress Digital Printing, 2004)

4 pounds of seedless watermelon, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of lime juice, 1 cup of blackberries, 1 cup of raspberries, 1 cup of cherries, 1 cup of strawberries, 1 hand held stick blender

Remove rind from watermelon, cut remainder into chunks and puree in a bowl with stick blender. Mix puree with sugar and lime juice. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.

When ready to serve, remove pits from cherries and cut in half. Slice strawberries.Divide berries and cherries into soup bowls. Pour chilled watermelon puree over them and serve.

SDC’S Gazpacho

• 3.5 cups tomato juice
• 2 cucumbers, diced
• 3 large beefsteak tomatoes, diced
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tbs. Worcesterschire sauce
• ½ tsp. Tabasco sauce
• freshly ground salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

In large glass bowl, combine vegetables with tomato juice. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Add half the mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth. Combine puree with original mixture. Chill for 4 hours. Ladle into individual bowls and serve with sliced toasted French bread or croutons, on top.

We may not scream for them, but chips are indispensable in our summer snacking. Still, scanning rows of sustainable, low fat, low sodium and fair trade options fills us with more anxiety than the seductive Cheetos guy does. The organic aisle has us questioning (are they for real veggies?) and shaking (are there more than ten chips in the bag?). So we went ahead and tested some of the healthful looking items to determine which are good for us and which are just dressed in colorful costume. At least they all agreed to be trans fat and cholesterol free.

Cals 105 (30 gm). Sodium 120 mg. Fiber 3 gm.

Crispy Delites: Carrot Chips Baked and jam-packed with a pound of vegetables, 390 mg of potassium, (helps all cells) and lots of Vitamins A and C, this snack has your green needs in mind. No. You’re not seeing things, they’re helping you see better.

Not much of a rabbit? Try cucumber, celery, red onion or Fuji apple.

Extend Crisps: White Cheddar Soy Crisps

Cals 130 (32 gm). Sodium 160 mg. Fiber 3 gm.

This light, airy low glycemic index snack gets its mild cheese taste from a combo of dehydrated cheese and whey. That, together with the uncooked corn starch (read: a slow burning carb that controls blood sugar release) keeps us fuller, longer, preventing us from tearing through another bag.

Cals 140 (28 gm). Sodium 140 mg. Fiber 3 gm.

Garden of Eatin: Multigrain Tortilla Chips with Everything Actually packed with Multi (seven of them) Grains (organic corn, cracked wheat, steel cut oats and flax seeds to name a few), this speckled snack is baked in sunflower and safflower oils (high in monosaturates, like olive oil) and combined with savory additions of poppy seeds, onion, and garlic to really give you everything.

Cals 140 (28 gm). Sodium 80 mg. Fiber 3 gm.

Food Should Taste Good: Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips

Although sweet potato isn’t the first on the nutrition label’s list (its stoneground corn), we get all the benefits of the soft orange vegetable’s Vitamin A (20%). With just the right balance of sweet and salty flavor and conveniently sized for dipping, this chip goes well with mango salsa and bean dip. Though something that tastes this good doesn’t need much added kick.