The bounty of summer produce is still in full swing! Check out the ratatouille recipe below to utilize those juicy garden tomatoes, plentiful zucchini, and fresh herbs. Mix up your staple grains with fluffy whole grain couscous and try making your own nutritious salad dressing!

Ratatouille is a French dish featuring vividly colored vegetables layered over a richly flavored tomato sauce baked in a casserole dish or cast iron skillet.  It can also be made as a stew. This dish is best made in the summertime when all of the ingredients are in season and their flavor and nutrient profiles are at their peak.  Farmers markets will often carry heirloom varieties of vegetables in different colors, adding more visual appeal to the dish. For those with little ones, try including them in the vegetable layering steps.  This is a great way to increase their curiosity of the rainbow colors of fresh ingredients and entice them to try a delicious vegetable-packed dish they helped create!

View the recipe and instructions for Ratatouille on the Sound Dietitians blog.

Store bought salad dressings are convenient, but they often have a lot of added sodium and sugars to make them taste good.  Making dressings yourself can help to reduce sodium intake if salads are a part of your daily routine. The best part about making your own is that it’s very easy and you can customize your dressing to your desired taste and texture!  Simple ingredients like olive oil, vinegar, and herbs can turn into a vibrant dressing with a little know-how. This honey mustard recipe features the use of probiotic-filled yogurt as a way to add creaminess to the dressing without adding the extra calories from mayonnaise. It also uses fresh lemon juice for extra tanginess and stone ground/dijon mustard for a nice kick. ​