Regularly eating foods with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties goes a long way towards boosting your body’s immune system.
Full of anti-oxidants that fight free radicals (we’re talking the unstable atoms that cause damage to cells, not the band), tomatoes are loaded with lycopene. This gives them their brilliant colour and protects them from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. In turn, that lycopene can help protect us too.
It is believed to play a part in lowering blood pressure, combating ‘bad’ cholesterol and fighting carcinogens. Add to that the benefits of the vitamins (C and E), beta-carotene and potassium packed into each juicy orb and you’re onto a winner.
British Tomato Fortnight kicks off on 25 May. So, we have all the more reason to celebrate this humble healthworker and weave it into our summer meal planning. We’re starting with super-quick quesadillas.
Isle of Wight Tomato and Bean Quesadillas
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
You’ll need:
250g Isle of Wight Tomatoes (you can now order these vibrant yellow, red, orange and green little lipsmackers on the IOW tomato website for delivery to your door)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tins beans (we used black beans and cannellini beans, drained and rinsed)
Salt & pepper
Four large wraps (such as tortilla wraps)
120g cheddar cheese
What to do:
Chop the tomatoes into small pieces. If substituting with cherry toms, quarter them.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onions until soft but not browned – about five minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the spices and allow another couple of minutes before adding the tomatoes. Simmer together for about five minutes until they have begun to soften.
Now add the beans to the pan, crushing them slightly with the back of your spoon or with a potato masher. Turn off the heat and set to one side.
Now place the first wrap in a large, dry frying pan over medium heat for a minute or so until it has just started to brown. Turn it over and put a generous couple of spoonfuls of the bean-and-tomato mixture on one half of the wrap and top with cheese. Fold wrap over to make a half moon.
Press down with a spatula and allow cheese to melt for a couple of minutes before carefully flipping over to cook the other side. Repeat with the remaining wraps.
Cut each wrap in half to make triangles. Serve with guacamole, sriracha and/or yoghurt.
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