Creative ways of using tomatoes in recipes

Fruit or vegetable? Who cares, when tomatoes are jam-packed with health-giving nutrients! Eat just one large tomato and you get over half of your daily vitamin C needs, potassium to aid the control of high blood pressure, a rich supply of carotenes and lycopene, which may help to reduce the risk of cancer. Here's some ways to incorporate this juicy food into your regular diet.

The antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes gives them their rich colour. Lycopene is more easily absorbed by the body from processed or cooked tomatoes, so it pays to enjoy them canned or in a paste, as well as fresh.

As a rich source of potassium, tomatoes can help to regulate blood pressure, reducing the risk of stroke.

Preparation: 10 minutes

Marinating: 30 minutes

• 302 g (1 1/3 c) frozen mixed cooked seafood or fresh cooked mussels, shrimp and squid
• 40 g (3/4 lb) of ripe cherry tomatoes
• 1 thinly sliced small red pepper
• 2 peeled sliced ripe avocados
• 45 g (3 tbsp) olive oil
• 10 g (2 tsp) hot sauce (optional)
• 10 g (2 tsp) white wine vinegar
• Pinch of paprika
• Ground black pepper
• Baby salad greens
• 60 g (4 tbsp) chopped fresh cilantro

1. Thaw frozen mixed cooked seafood in the fridge or, if available, use fresh cooked mussels, shrimp and squid. Halve ripe cherry tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Rinse and drain the seafood and add to the bowl with thinly sliced small red pepper and peeled sliced ripe avocados.
2. In a small bowl combine olive oil with hot sauce (optional), white wine vinegar, a pinch of paprika and ground black pepper to taste. Cover and set aside in a cool place for 30 minutes to allow flavours to develop at room temperature.
3. Place a handful of baby salad greens on four plates then spoon a quarter of the seafood mixture onto each plate. Garnish with 15 grams (one tablespoon) chopped fresh cilantro per portion.

Serves 4

• Using a mixture of golden, orange and red tomato varieties will make this salad even more appetizing.
• Replace the seafood with the same quantity of shrimp or crab meat for a more conventional salad.

Nutritional information: 349 calories • 28 grams fat • 5 grams saturated fat • 9 grams carbohydrates • 15 grams protein • 4 grams fibre

These are just a few ways of reaping the many health benefits of tomatoes.