You Say Tomato...

I can't resist the red deliciousness of ripe, juicy summer tomatoes. . .plus, they are sooooooo good for you, body and soul.

 

Tomatoes are considered a superfood because they contain a whole series of anticancer nutrients, such as lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant that can help protect your body against degenerative diseases by neutralizing free radicals.

What a mouthful!  In plain English what I'm trying to say is that tomatoes build up your immune system, the body's front line system for fighting diseases.  In fact, doctors have found that a maintaining a diet high in the lycopene reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease and macular degeneration.

 

Staying healthy is especially important while grieving the loss of a loved one.  Grief is physical as well as emotional.  You may lose your appetite while grieving and tomatoes are an easy and fast way to pull something nutritious together for yourself.  They can be cooked or not; either way it's important to remember to eat.

 

Wow!  All of those healthy and healing benefits -- just from eating tomatoes -- and that's easy breezy this time of year when tomatoes are plentiful at farmer's market, grocery stores or if you're really lucky, maybe even in your backyard.

 

If you can't figure out what to do with your bounty of tomatoes, or you are looking for a new way to eat your fresh tomatoes, here's a recipe for Tomato Basil Bruschetta distributed by FRESHFARM Markets (www.freshfarmmarkets.org) from a food website called Annie's Eats (www.annie-eats.com).
 

Courtesy of Annie's Eats

 

TOMATO BASIL BRUSCHETTA

 

Ingredients:
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tbsp. basil, minced
¼ tsp. kosher salt
Pepper, to taste
1½ tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. finely grated Parmesan
Toasted baguette slices, for serving

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; mix well to blend. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Spoon the tomato mixture on top of toasted baguette slices and serve.

Source: Annie original