My friend Jen Melo, editor of Homemakers.com and self-confessed reformed? junk-food-junkie, writes an I-will-eat-better diary, a daily record perhaps a bit more life-relevant than lipstick (some might say). Her topics include good-eating tips, recipe adventures, and a little more ice cream than you might expect. Beauty from the inside out, right?

For column content during her vacation last week, she tapped a few friends for eat-better stories. I happily obliged, suddenly inspired to write a love note to a salad I actually adore -- there aren't many of those.

I know my cucumber-and-tomato recipe is probably missing a couple of essentials (I usually keep food on the other end of the phone, and at my friend Lesa's house), but I don't care. What makes it special for me is the most wonderful olive oil in the world, lovely and smooth without a trace of the bitterness that mars much of the grocery-store brands. I'm sorry to say you can't buy the one I use. I can't either; I'm lucky to have a hook-up. Click here for more.

Wonder if I can count this salad as a made-in-Canada post?