Mediterranean Tomato Salad - Healthy Food Tip and Recipe

healthy food tip and recipe

Today's Recipe If you don't know what to serve for dinner tonight ...
This easy to prepare Mediterranean-style salad complements almost any meal.

Mediterranean Tomato Salad
Prep and Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:

• 2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped into large pieces
• 1 medium red onion, sliced thin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 TBS lemon juice or vinegar
• 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• 10 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• Optional:
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 6 olives, chopped
• 2 tsp capers
• anchovies (use however much suits your palate)

Directions:

1. Slice onions and mince garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting benefits.
2. Combine and toss all ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 2 Printer Friendly Version of Mediterranean Tomato Salad
In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Mediterranean Tomato Salad
Healthy Food Tip

Is there less allicin in dried garlic? If so, how much compared to fresh?

The amount of allicin in dried garlic depends on the quality of the drying method. Some manufacturers certify a minimum of about 6,000ppm of allicin in their garlic, and they use an HPLC lab test to verify the presence of allicin. Allicin is not a stable compound. Not only is it produced enzymatically in the garlic by action of the enzyme alliinase on the compound alliin, but it also quickly breaks down into other sulfur compounds, depending on chemical and physical conditions. So we are talking about measurement of a very unstable substance that is sensitive to heat, light, oxygen, etc. I have not seen dried garlic in a grocery store that documents allicin levels, even though this kind of documentation would be common in a natural products store that sold dried garlic in supplemental form. For this reason, when it comes to garlic as a food (not the supplement), I would describe fresh garlic as being a better choice for sulfur compounds, including allicin, than dried garli c. However, it is difficult to try and quantify the amount of allicin an individual is obtaining from garlic due to the interactive derivation, and unstable nature of this compound.