Sautéed Garlic and Tomato Sauce on Zucchini Recipe

Garlic and Tomato Saute recipeThose who are following a Paleo or Mediterranean style diet will love this recipe! This recipe is great for those who are trying to avoid gluten, dairy, and ultimately refined carbs. It can also be a vegan option if the meat/fish option is avoided. This recipe also requires a spiral sliver or spiralizer. The recipe is also best done in stages as opposed to adding all of the ingredients at once. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil
  • 2 zucchinis
  • approximately 625g of grape tomatoes halved – or more
  • 1/3 cup of basil (or Italian seasoning)
  • Optional: Shrimp
  • Optional: Feta cheese

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil on low – medium heat.
  2. Add in the minced garlic and sauté until softened (approximately 5 min).
  3. If you are adding in shrimp, add it to the garlic mixture and cook for approximately 10 minutes on medium heat.
  4. Add in halved tomatoes and let cook for approximately 10 minutes (this also depends on the desired consistency of the sauce you prefer. For a “chunky” sauce, cook for less time.)
  5. Spiral cut the zucchini, and add it to the pan, cooking for approximately 10 minutes or until “noodles” are soft.
  6. Remove from pan and serve.
  7. For extra flavour, you can add feta cheese to the top if this works with your specific diet.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling 519-537-7058 and book your appointment today! 

 

 

Power Food: Tomatoes

TomatoesTomatoes are in season, and more than that, they pack a nutritional punch! Many studies have looked at the health benefits of tomatoes, and shown that they can benefit many systems of the body. The main nutritional benefits stem from their vitamin and mineral content including, lycopene, vitamin E, vitamin C (40% of daily value), folate, beta carotene, potassium (8% of daily value), vitamin k, iron (7% of recommended daily value), vitamin A (15% of daily value)and flavonoids. These nutrients found in tomatoes and tomatoes themselves have been shown to decrease inflammation and are have a significant amount of antioxidants. The health promoting effects of tomatoes are vast and include:

  • Decreases LDL (bad cholesterol)
  • Decreases homocysteine (marker of risk of cardiovascular event)
  • Decreases platelet aggregation
  • Decreases blood pressure
  • Increases antioxidants
  • Aids with detoxification
  • Increases skin cell replacement
  • Regulates blood sugar

It is also ironic that tomatoes have a similar shape and appearance to a heart, because tomatoes are cardio-protective (protect your heart). Tomatoes can also decrease the risk of harm to other organ systems such as those listed below. Decreases risk of:

  • Osteoporosis
  • Cancer
    • Cervical
    • Lung
    • Prostate
    • Breast
    • Stomach
    • Colorectal
    • Esophageal
    • Pancreatic
    • Oral
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Cell damage
  • Ultraviolet skin damage
  • Cognitive decline

Because of all of the beneficial properties of tomatoes, they may show benefit for the following conditions or states:

  • Atherosclerosis
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Cancer
  • Increased homocysteine levels
  • Detoxification
  • Osteoporosis
  • Dialysis
    • Increases energy and helps with rejuvenating the health of patients on dialysis
  • Post – workout
  • Sunburns
  • Migraines
  • Immune system insufficiency
  • Acidosis
  • Lead toxicity
  • Can help older people stay active for longer
  • Macular degeneration

Special considerations about tomatoes involve how they are processed. When tomatoes are cooked, it increases the bioavailability of the antioxidants. In other words, cooking tomatoes increases the nutritional impact. In addition, when tomatoes are consume with olive oil, it helps to increase the absorption lycopene.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Sources:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408690390826437#.VdNASMvbLmI

http://www.phytojournal.com/vol1Issue1/Issue_may_2012/3.pdf

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf0115589