JUDY'S BROCCOLI-TOMATO SALAD WITH LEMON GARLIC VINAIGRETTE

I have a great whole-grain blueberry cobbler recipe for you, but I'm short on time. Going to physical therapy twice a week is really cutting into my productivity. It's not just physical therapy, either, although that does take up about 2 hours of time. There's the mat work, the bike, the ball work, the bar work and three machines. Then you have to sit on a heating pad with the tens unit plugged into your trigger points for 1/2 hour. Then the doctor (physiatrist) gives you a myofascial deep tissue massage that hurts like crazy as he attempts to stretch the muscles that are causing all your pain. And you're not the only one there, so there is some waiting in between each segment. All in all, I leave the house at 10:35 and return home about 3PM, or after depending on where I am in the queue that day. The good news is that I am improving. The bad news is that I still have a lot of pain in my legs and neck. My shoulder was the original problem; but the doc found so many trigger points, he started working on all of them. I'll be so glad when I'm done and the muscles don't hurt any more. Anyway, here's my

easy recipe for today: Broccoli-Tomato Salad. I've been making this for many years, and it's one way I can get my fussy hubby to eat broccoli. This is fast, easy and delicious. It's also a make-ahead, so if you have it for company, you can make it in the morning. Our friend gave us some of his beautiful home-grown tomatoes, which we eagerly and thankfully accepted since we lost our first plants to blossom-end rot and our second plants were eaten by deer. So we are, sadly, tomato-less at the moment.

The amounts on this recipe are guesses, since I don't use a recipe for this, nor do I measure. So don't be afraid to wing it, either. Let your gut be your guide, because I don't think you can go far off.

Judy's Broccoli-Tomato Salad with Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette

2 tsp. minced fresh garlic

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

juice of 1 large lemon

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cups broccoli flowerets

2 cups chopped fresh tomato (peeled if skins are tough)

In medium bowl, whisk first 6 ingredients till well combined. Slowly drizzle olive oil in while continuing to whisk till mixture emulsifies. Set aside. In large bowl, combine broccoli and tomatoes. Pour some vinaigrette over the veggies, starting with 1/4 cup and adding just enough that you can mix it. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. The tomatoes will give off a lot of juices and flavor this even more. Stir it before serving, to mix the juices up. This is really good.