Yesterday we went to the farmer’s market and got the best tomatoes— we got grape tomatoes and colorful cherry tomatoes and they were so sweet and juicy that we were inspired to create a simple recipe featuring our delicious friend (the tomato, of course!). 🙂
As girls who love sweet treats and registered dietitians who are all about getting more nutritional bang for your buck, tomatoes are one hot number!
(Psst… looking for more recipes featuring tomatoes? Please feel free to search this site! And here are a couple more to try!
Tomato, Cucumber, Avocado & Chickpea Salad
Spicy Tomato and Creamy Spinach Pasta
Tangy Asparagus and Tomato Salad
One serving of red, ripe, raw tomatoes (about 1 cup) is low in fat, calories and sodium, but rich in nutrients. Tonatoes are packed with Vitamin A, C, K, potassium and folate. So what does this mean for your body? For starters, since tomatoes contain lots of fiber and water, they help you feel full longer, which prevents you from overeating later in the day and is great for the waist line! Tomatoes help to keep you healthy.
Tomatoes are great for the skin. The lycopene in tomatoes makes the skin less sensitive and lycopene and beta-carotene both protect against skin damage from the sun. They also help build strong bones from calcium and vitamin K and their antioxidants help to fight off free radicals which can cause cell damage.
Tomatoes have a large amount of chromium, which helps to balance blood sugar. The vitamin A in tomatoes helps to decrease the risk of macular degeneration, a serious eye condition as well as having healthy hair.
Adding tomatoes to your diet is quite simple! Cut up some fresh tomatoes into your garden salad or dunk steamed veggies in fresh tomato sauce! To help you kick start Fresh Tomato Day, here’s a scrumptious simple salsa recipe!
Tomato and Kiwi Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups ripe kiwi, diced
- ¼ cup onion, finely diced
- 2 gloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1 tbsp. parsley or cilantro, finely chopped OR ½ tsp. dried parsley or cilantro
Directions
Mix all ingredients well. Tastes best after flavors have a chance to mingle for 60 minutes.
What ways have you incorporated tomatoes into your diet?
This recipe makes 6, ½ cup servings. Each serving: 42 calories, 10 g carbohydrate, 0 g fat, 1 g protein, 2 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 100 mg sodium
Enjoy!
- 2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups ripe kiwi, diced
- ¼ cup onion, finely diced
- 2 gloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. sugar
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1 tbsp. parsley or cilantro, finely chopped OR ½ tsp. dried parsley or cilantro
- Mix all ingredients well. Tastes best after flavors have a chance to mingle for 60 minutes.