Shape up with tomatoes

Living in these difficult economic times that we are living in now, I won't use the "d" word but we certainly have been in a recession, growing your own vegies is a great way of saving money and also very rewarding. Home grown vegetables have a far greater nutritional value than shop bought and also you are able to pick them and use straight away, hence losing very little vital life force and freshness.
Tomatoes are a great vegetable to eat for keeping the body in shape as they are high in GI and low in carbohydrates so can be used very effectively to shape your body up. Tomatoes have been used by Mediteranean cooks for centuries as a vegetable that forms the basis of many recipes and indeed as the main dish.
Gazpacho soup is one such recipe that uses fresh raw tomatoes, fresh from the garden, when they are plentiful in summer time.
To see a great and easy recipe for such a soup check out: http://recipesfor2010.blogspot.com/

Eazy gazpacho soup

On a hot day when you don't feel like cooking, gazpacho soup is quick and easy to make.

Peel and roughly chop several cucumbers, remove seeds if the cucmbers are big
remove skin off 8 roma tomatoes by plunging into boiling water for 20seconds, skin comes off easily
cut tomatoes in half and scoop seeds out of the middle
roughly chop a Spanish onion
cube handful of stale Italian bread
Place all ingredients into a blender with the bread being the last ingredient
season to taste with salt, pepper, paprica, dash of olive oil and wine vinegar and blend till desired consistency is reached.

Ladle into soup bowl and add some crisply fried bacon pieces on top and a little cubed hard boiled egg as garnish and enjoy

Low calorie cold tomato & basil soup

This tomato basil soup is a cold soup similar to gazpacho soup, but it has extra flavoring especially when you use your home grown tomatoes. This soup is low in calories, and great for the vegetarian and vegan.

Ingredients:
2 kg tomatoes
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves chopped finely
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until almost smooth, or until desired consistency is reached.
Transfer to a large saucepan and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Eat hot or cold with crusty Italian bread

Living Culinary Herbs

Place your culinary herb garden conveniently for ease of use in your everyday cooking. Your garden should be planted in the sun to promote the fastest most robust plant growth. When you grow herbs in full sun they have denser foliage and darker colour with higher levels of essential oils which provide the flavour that is wanted from herbs. When these culinary herbs are planted in a shady location their growth becomes long and lanky because the plant is reaching out for the sun. Herbs grown in shade have growth which is inferior in form and flavor and can attract insect pests that would not be a problem in a sunny spot.
When growing your basil plant in your culinary herb garden make sure to keep up the water to it as basil is a herb that grows best with plenty of water. Basil will grow even better hydroponically.

Fresh tomato & basil pesto

A favourite recipe, easy to make and very tasty.

Finely chop a handful of basil leaves
Cut several roma tomatoes into small cubes
Cut a small Spanish onion into very fine cubes (or 1/2 a larger onion)
Add a dash of olive oil and season to taste
Mix all ingredients together and cover

Meanwhile get a loaf of Mama Mia's garlic bread and bake according to instructions.

When garlic bread is ready pile on the pesto mix and top with a bit of grated cheese
then pop under the grill for 5-8minutes or until the cheese is melted on top

Yum! Enjoy!

basil ~ hydroponic

growing your own food is pleasurable and the best way of getting the nutrients you need to sustain a healthy body.
buying some hydroponic basil and then planting it out and keeping the water up to it is a great way to have access to basil all year round especially if you have it growing in a glasshouse or on your kitchen window sill or one of those small plastic covered 'greenhouse' frames that you put up on your verandah.
a tub of hydroponic basil has many small basil plants seeded into it and is by far the cheapest way of buying basil that is already established.
I bought my tub from my local greengrocer for $1.99 and there are at least 20 basil plants in it. I always prefer to support a small local business venture rather than a large grocery chain.

Simple Turkey Salad

To start the year a simple recipe for Christmas leftovers or if you don't have turkey, chicken can be used instead

pull off  turkey meat and cut long strips into bite size pieces
wash and slice several roma tomatoes
peel some lebanese cucumbers and slice finely
finely chop some chives (optional) or Spanish onion
use some iceburg lettuce leaves torn or sliced

place lettuce leaves in a bowl and add all remaining ingredients on top
sprinkle with salad dressing toss and serve

To make simple home made salad dressing:
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
teaspoon sugar
good pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
place in bottle with tightly fitting lid and shake well
refrigerate unused portion