Tomato, peach and basil summer salad

In the summer when the temperature rises and you are struggling with the heat, the general advice is of course to increase your intake of water but also to eat more fruit and vegetables. At this time of year when the bulk of my diet is made up mainly of vegetables and fruit, I feel great, I have more energy and I am also less thirsty. Fruit and veg have so much water in them. Watermelon is one of the best things to keep hydrated in the middle of the summer and it is so refreshing and moreish too.

I will be having lots of watermelon when I am in Italy and I cannot wait!

mmer when the temperature rises and you are struggling with the heat, the general advice is of course to increase your intake of water but also to eat more fruit and vegetables. At this time of year when the bulk of my diet is made up mainly of vegetables and fruit, I feel great, I have more energy and I am also less thirsty. Fruit and veg have so much water in them. Watermelon is one of the best things to keep hydrated in the middle of the summer and it is so refreshing and moreish too.

I will be having lots of watermelon when I am in Italy and I cannot wait!

To keep your strenght up you still need proper meals though and the best summer meals (especially at lunch when it is really hot) are “enriched” salads. You make a basic salad with lettuce and tomatoes, cucumbers and anything seasonal you fancy and then you add to it: cheese, ham, fish or anything else you fancy.

This is my latest salad I made for myself and hubby: tomato, peach and basil with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar. I have added some mozzarella to fill us up until dinner time and it was tasty and refreshing. Just what we needed on a hot summer day!

Prep time: 15 minutes! Yes go for it!

• Prep Time : 15 minutes
• Yield : 2

Ingredients

• tomatoes – 3 – (approximately 300 grams or 1 + 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes)
• cherry tomatoes (red and yellow) – handful
• peaches – 2
• arugola (rocket) leaves – handful
• mozzarella cheese – 150 g – 1 + 1/2 cups
• balsamic vinegar
• basil leaves – small handful
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt

Instructions

Slice the tomatoes. Cut the peaches into segments and arrange them on a serving dish.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and the mozzarella into chunks and add them to the dish with the arugola leaves.

Garnish with basil leaves, drizzle a generous amount of olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Serve with rustic bread.

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