Tomatoes Promote Robust Health

The tomato is now grown worldwide for its edible fruits, with thousands of cultivators having been selected with varying fruit types, and for optimum growth in differing growing conditions.

Tomatoes are a great addition to a healthy diet—low-calorie, fat-free and a good source of Vitamin C. But what propels them to nutritional superstar status is their abundant amount of lycopene, an antioxidant in the carotenoid family with cancer-fighting properties. In this instance, the cooked product is better for you than the raw—lycopene is concentrated in cooked products, like tomato sauces, soups and ketchup. Add a little fat, like olive oil, and our bodies absorb lycopene even better. For lycopene-rich fresh tomatoes, choose the reddest ones you can find, make sure they haven't been refrigerated, and drizzle them with olive oil or add or a slice of fresh mozzarella.

Botanically, a tomato is the ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant: a fruit or, more precisely, a berry. However, the tomato is not as sweet as those foodstuffs usually called fruits and, from a culinary standpoint, it is typically served as part of a salad or main course of a meal, as are vegetables, rather than at dessert, as are fruits. As noted above, the term "vegetable" has no botanical meaning and is purely a culinary term.

A simple tomato salad is so delicious.

Ingredients:

1/4 red wine vinegar,

3 rounded tablespoons brown sugar,

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it,

1 teaspoon coarse black pepper, eyeball it,

1 cup canned tomato sauce,

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, eyeball it,

3 tomatoes, sliced 1/2-inch thick,,

large Vidalia onion, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices,

Salt,

2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves, to garnish.

Method:

In a small saucepan over moderate heat combine vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire and pepper. Allow sugar to dissolve in vinegar and liquids to come to a bubble. Remove sauce from heat and whisk in tomato sauce, then extra-virgin olive oil. Let dressing stand.

Arrange sliced tomatoes and onions on a serving platter. Season tomatoes and onions with salt, to taste Pour dressing over the tomatoes and onions and garnish with chopped parsley.