Enjoy light cocktails with summer salads

A summer salad loaded with the season's freshest produce is a healthy and easy way to end the day.

And since salads are quick to prepare, you might as well use the extra time to create a delicious cocktail that brings out the best of both the vegetables and a warm summer evening.

Sandra Lee, cookbook author and host of the Food Network's "Sandra's Money Saving Meals," likes to pair her Hula Girl Cocktail with summer's bounty of corn, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and berries.

"Summer entertaining can be easy and relaxing," she says. "Nature is on your side. Lots of fruits and vegetables are at their peak, so we tend to eat lighter and healthier," she says.

Her favored cocktail is a healthy summer treat with pineapple juice, guava nectar juice, strawberries, sugar and a splash of rum.

If you want to skip the alcohol and save money and calories, Lee says the drink holds up great without the rum. "Top it with strawberries and a lime wedge, and this drink will remind you that fun, summer days in the sun await you," she says.

Lee suggests a balsamic vinaigrette or a fruit-based dressing to compliment the cocktail and keep the meal light.