Because it was 91 degrees today...

Hello all & happy Friday! It officially feels like summer down here in So Cal! As it was very hot today and I had an extra long commute home (thanks crazy Friday traffic!), when I finally made it home I was in need of some refreshment. I wanted something light & cool for dinner but I still wanted it to taste delicious of course. I ended up coming up with this healthy & oh-so-tasty summer salad. It is 100% hitting the spot! So the next time you're looking to get your veggie fix and it's blazing outside, consider making this sensational dish! {Yes, the previous sentence was kinda cheesy & perhaps straight out of a 1950's commercial. I'm aware of that, ok? :) }

Lemony-Feta Veggie Chop



Ingredients: 

• 3 small beets (just get the ones sold at Trader Joe's. Easiest way to get beets without all the trouble!)
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 large tomato
• 5-6 cooked & chilled asparagus spears
• 1 avocado
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• sea salt & pepper 

1) First chop all vegetables. I had already cooked the asparagus the night before so I just had to pull it out of da fridge. 

2) Add several tablespoons of olive oil, the juice from 1/2 a lemon, crumble in the feta cheese & add freshly ground sea salt & pepper. 

3) Stir all ingredients together & then cover & chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (helps all the flavors marinate).

4) Pull out of the fridge, stir once more & enjoy some bites of summer bliss!

5) Lastly, although this tastes great, it certainly is not super filling. This definitely isn't a stand-alone dinner recipe, more of just a great side dish. However, to make it more filling, I'd serve it on top of quinoa or lentils.