Purple Tomatoes — Fooling Mother Nature?
November 18, 2008 No comments yet
Bio-engineers have created a purple tomato that has the food community buzzing. By inserting genes from a purple snapdragon flower into the tomatoes, they grow with a deep purple hue. The purple pigment is rich in powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidants known as anthocyanins. Anthocyanins from other foods that contain them naturally have been shown to slow the growth of colon cancer cells, protect against cardiovascular disease, boost eyesight, and stave off obesity and diabetes.
The development of the new tomato was announced in the October 2008 issue of Nature Biotechnology Journal, along with a pilot study in which the genetically modified purple tomatoes were fed as a powder in the diets of tumor-growing mice.
It’s peak season for the sweet nutty flavor of butternut squash. This easy to prepare Thanksgiving favorite is perfect for both holiday entertaining and simple weeknight meals. When purchasing, look for gourds with a hard, thick rind and no signs of decay.
One of the tricks to eating well is knowing when to buy fresh foods for peak ripeness. Buying foods in season generally means lower price and better taste. Pears are in season right now, so it’s a great time for this salad — so light and simple, but so tasty.
If you enjoy the house salad dressing from Japanese steakhouse restaurants, you’ll like this one. As a vinegar-free salad dressing option, it’s a refreshing change of pace. Agave nectar makes a nice alternative to sugar as the sweetener. This recipe serves as a base dressing with which you can get a variety of different flavors by adding grapefruit or orange zest. Adding a little lime juice gives it a Thai taste. Ginger dressings aren’t always sweetened, so omit the sweetener sometimes if you want, and add soy sauce for a different taste.
Even people trying to adhere to a wheat- and dairy-free diet can enjoy this classic dip. Look for goat or sheep’s milk versions of your favorite hard cheese and a soy version of your cream cheese. When you pair the dip with gluten-free crackers or organic whole grain tortilla chips, you are off and running.
While I don’t recommend the cabbage soup diet plan, the soup itself is very nutritious and tasty — and is great to eat any time on a 
At the end of summer, I love finding farmer’s markets or roadside stands selling their bounty of fresh tomatoes. Recently, I have been into trying different types of course salts — black and pink Hawaiian and Himalayan salts for example. They are great on sliced fresh tomatoes with fresh ground pepper. If you need more ideas for using up your fresh tomatoes, here’s a great tasting salad that makes up really quickly.
This is a light and easy green salad that highlights a vinegar-free dressing. Look for Romaine lettuce with dark green, tightly packed leaves for maximum nutrient benefits.
On lower carb diets, pancakes can be a hard food to replace. The recipe below is a great option at only 9 carbs for two pancakes. It can be served with fresh berries or a little agave nectar for a sweet version, or with Italian herbs and tomato sauce with nitrate free sausage for a savory version.
Turkey and cranberry gets a summertime makeover with this cool, refreshing salad that’s loaded with vitamins, minerals, and healthy antioxidants. The addition of juicy, sweet blueberries and creamy goat cheese makes this a flavorful, eye-pleasing treat when it’s just to hot to cook.
