Photo: Saskei, Flickr

As summer winds down, so does one of my favorite things about the sunny season -- freshly-grown veggies. Sweet, juicy and succulent, you'd be hard pressed to find produce as tasty as this in December, particularly in the part of the world where I live. So let's appreciate them while we can, OK?

The Washington Post recently did just that by celebrating a summertime favorite, fresh corn on the cob. Corn has a bit of a bad reputation, but as it happens, it has some essential nutrients like vitamin B5, vitamin C and folate. An ear of corn is about 100 calories (though obviously that number goes up when you pile on the butter) and -- having both soluble and insoluble fiber-- it acts as a sort of "snow plow" on your digestive system by helping to clean out some of the bad stuff in there. And here's another corn tip: Cooking it increases the antioxidant value, so make sure you eat yours hot.

Of course, corn isn't the only summer veggie that should be making an appearance on your plate this season.

Every week, in our CSA crate, we get at least two large bags or several bunches of greens. We've never eaten so many salads and sauteed greens in our life, and honestly, I'm getting a little bored. But today I've found new inspiration in Prevention's 25 summer salads.

These mouth-watering salads are loaded with fruits and/or veggies, many of them straight from the summer garden. Not only that, they're deliciously low-cal and low-fat, not overloaded with heavy dressings or fried meats. This gallery also reminds us, in the form of a yummy looking bean salad, among others, that salads don't always have to contain lettuce. I'm just not sure which one to try first!

What about you? What's your favorite summer salad recipe?

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