INGREDIENTS:1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes
2oz mozzarella cheese
8 basil leaves
1 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper
Slice the tomatoes in half and put them in a salad bowl. Cut the mozzarella into bite-sized pieces, and mix them in. Shred the basil and toss that in too. Drizzle the olive oil over the top, and then add salt and pepper to taste.
That's it! It should only take five minutes from start to finish, and that includes taking the items out of the refrigerator. You can liven it up with balsamic vinegar, if you want, or enjoy it straight.
This is a great reason to keep fresh basil growing in your kitchen window. Basil grows very easily in a window spot, and it even comes in a bunch of varieties. We have regular Italian basil, Thai basil, and cinnamon basil growing in our windows. That way when the urge for a salad strikes you, you simply reach over to the window and pluck off a few leaves!
The cheese should have about 1g of carbs total, and the grape tomatoes add perhaps another 3g of carbs depending on exactly how large they are. All in all a fairly low count for a filling, healthy treat!
Did you know that in colonial US days, people thought the red fruit of the tomato was poisonous? They all gathered in 1820 to watch madman Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson eat a pile of them in a public place, sure they were watching him poison himself. When he didn't die, they began to change their mind about this innocent little red vegetable.
Men should especially consider boosting their tomato intake. According to a study done by the University of Illinois, men who eat about 2 1/2 cups of tomato a day - along with 1 1/5 cups of broccoli - end up with a super-dose of anti prostate cancer hormones working through their system. It's well worth thinking about adding both into your diet!
Lisa Shea's Library of Low Carb Books
