Side Dish – recipes

Ingredients

Ingredients
6 ripe medium tomatoes
1 red pepper
1-2 garlic cloves
1.2 seedless cucumber, with peel
1 slice old bread (may be GF)
1 cup water
3 ice cubes
salt, pepper to taste
balsamic vinegar, swirl
extra virgin olive oil, 2 swirls

Additional:

* 1/2 tsp turmeric
* pinch cumin

Gazpacho Soup

Directions

This is how it goes: Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth. So easy, right?

Benefits

Tomato: contains all four major carotenoids: alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene (last one has the highest antioxidant activity of all). This makes tomatoes great in protection against certain cancers such as pancreatic and prostate cancer.Tomatoes are a big part of the famously healthy Mediterranean diet, which is believed to provide lower death rates from heart disease and cancer. Lycopene transfers through breast milk as well, providing greats benefits for babies as well.

Cumin: is rich in iron and thus very good for lactating mothers as well as for women who are undergoing menses or who are pregnant since they are more in need of iron than others. It also helps ease/increase secretion of milk in lactating women due to the presence of thymol, which tends to increase secretions from our glands, including milk, which is a secretion from the mammary glands. Cumin can be used during common colds since it acts as an expectorant (loosens thick mucus and helps the body get rid of it). It also reduces chances for hypoglycemia (low blood sugars), so it will keep your blood sugar levels stable

Turmeric helps with numerous problems: heartburn, digestion, and it also promotes stem cell repair in the brain and acts as an anti-inflammatory – so I see it as a natural version of Motrin or Tylenol. It may improve memory and has been studied in Alzheimer’s patients.