soy free ~ gluten free ~ wheat free ~ grain free ~ artificial sugar free ~ canola oil free

Tis the season of tomatoes! I have sooooo many tomatoes from my local vegetable deliveries that I decided to try something new with them. You have to try this. It’s so easy, and tomatoes taste DELICIOUS when they are roasted! I’m not normally a huge fan of tomatoes, but I like the way they taste after I pop them in the oven!

On top of how delicious they taste, tomatoes have an abundance of health benefits, which I go into more detail below.

Heirlooms, which frow from seeds handed down over generations, are more readily available at farmers’ markets, which means they were picked within a day or two. This gives them a vine-ripe sweetness rarely found at your corporate grocery store. Look for plump tomatoes without bruises or decay. Heirlooms are susceptible to cracking, but as long as the cracks are healed (meaning you can’t see the juicy insides), the crack won’t affect it’s taste or freshness. Store them on the counter, and eat within a day or two.

Of course, buying from a local farmers market also contributes to supporting our local agricultural process. On top of that, you’ll be buying the most fresh, naturally grown organic produce, which contains zero pesticides.

ingredients:

4 heirloom organic tomatoes

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons of organic extra virgin olive oil (or your preferred melted fat)

1 large organic purple onion

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F, or you can use a toaster oven. Cook time is 45min on 400 F, or you could cook 2 hours at 300 F.

2. Cut tomatoes in circles, starting from the bottom, moving your way up to stem. Slice thick slices!

3. Spread the tomatoes on a foil-lined baking dish

4. Drizzle EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

heirloom tomates 3

health benefits of tomatoes:

Tomatoes in general provide iron, potassium, fiber, a host of B vitamins, and quercetin, a phytochemical that may reduce types of cancer as well as protect against heart and degenerative eye diseases.

Tomato’s most notable health benefit is that it is abundant in lycopene. Lycopene is a carotenoid, which gives the tomato it’s bright red and orange colors. Lycopene is associated with lowering the risk of cancer. And the cool thing about this recipe is that a cooked tomato contains anywhere from 2-8 times the amount of lycopene than a raw tomato.