Lycopene

February is Heart Health Month. So let's look at what makes a healthy heart.

Lycopene is a super star when it comes to good heart health and cancer prevention. Lycopene is what gives red fruits and vegetables their bright red color. You will find lycopene in red foods like tomatoes, watermelon, apricots, red grapefruit, guava, red carrots, papaya and rose hips.

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that inhibits free radicals. (Free radicals are molecules that have an unpaired electron and are therefore unstable. The molecule stabilizes itself by stealing electrons from live cell membranes. This damages the cell and promotes disease.)

The super antioxidant, Lycopene, neutralizes free radicals by binding to them and stabilizing them. The free radicals no longer create cell damage that can result in diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

One of the best ways to get lycopene into the body is to cook with tomatoes and eat them in a meal that provides a small amount of fat. One study showed that when oil was added to heated tomato juice, the blood lycopene levels increased more than when plain, unheated tomato was consumed. Now, that obviously doesn’t mean you should eat lots of fries with ketchup thinking you are helping prevent cancer. Too much oil has its own health risks. The idea of cooking food to increase nutrition verses raw foods seems wrong, however, for some reason cooking tomato releases the nutrients in them. 

Don’t forget watermelon! Although a slice of watermelon has only one half the amount of lycopene as a glass of tomato juice, think about how much watermelon you can eat! Watermelon makes a great breakfast just by itself.  This is important for those who don’t like tomatoes or avoid them because they are in the nightshade produce family.

Once again, whole foods save the heart! Consistently eating whole foods will prevent heart disease. Let's see, how can we get whole foods consistently every day? Oh yeah, Juice Plus and eating our Lycopene. (Message me for recipes high in Lycopene)

A few recipes high in Lycopene:

Vegetarian Chili 

In a Dutch oven, add 1 tbsp virgin olive oil and sauté : 

• ¾ cup chopped bell pepper trilogy (green, red and yellow)
• 1 chopped medium yellow onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• ½ - 1 chopped jalapeno peppers

After vegetables soften, add seasonings:

• 1 tbsp chili powder (New Mexico chili powder is best)
• 1 tbsp Veggie Salt or Herbamare seasoning
• 1 tsp oregano 
• 1 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste       

Now add:

• 2 – 15 oz cans organic red kidney, black and/or pinto beans drained & rinsed (or any variety of beans)
• 1 can organic diced tomatoes 
• ½ teaspoon raw sugar

Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes

Top with freshly chopped cilantro

Optional Fast Tip: put all ingredients in a crook pot and let simmer on low all day. Dinner is ready when you get home!

This is a very light dressing recipe…excellent for those wanting a low fat dressing.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tomato or small can of stewed tomato

1 tbsp. fresh basil (or ½ tsp. dried)

1 tbsp. fresh chives (or 1/2 tsp. dried)

Few drops of stevia (or a little honey)

Vegetable salt to taste

Directions:

. Put in all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth.

. Add salt and stevia to taste.


Watermelon Smoothie:
In blender put a small amount of liquid (water, plant milk, coconut water, etc), add a cup of ice, as much watermelon as desired, 1/4 cup of Juice Plus Vanilla Complete drink powder and blend until smooth. Oh so refreshing and YUM! The watermelon is high in Lycopene and the Complete several red fruits and veg in it.  

Tomato and Red Pepper Soup




Makes 4 Servings 

Ready in about 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 large red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1/3 teaspoon dried thyme

1 pound fresh tomatoes (about 3 medium), coarsely chopped OR a can of diced or whole         tomatoes (cooking releases something in tomatoes and cooking or canning them                 actually makes them healthier - probably the only cooked food that is healthier after             cooking :)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons for garnish OR sprinkle a little dried basil on       each bowl for flavor




Instructions:

1. Place the onions and bell peppers in a large saucepan, and sauté over medium heat for            10 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to keep the vegetables from                  sticking to the pan.


2. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute, then add the tomatoes and cook,         covered, for 20 minutes.

3. Purée the soup using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender with a tight-fitting           lid, covered with a towel.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve garnished with the basil.

MEXICAN RICE SOUP

By Heather McDougall

Serves 6

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups low-sodium vegetable stock

1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained

and rinsed

1 15-ounce can black beans drained

and rinsed

1 15-ounce can pinto beans drained

and rinsed

1 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 cup long–grain brown rice, toasted (see note)

Salt to taste

Toppings:

- Chopped tomato

- Sliced scallions

- Salsa

- Baked tortilla chips

Instructions:

1. In a large saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in 1

tablespoon low-sodium vegetable stock or water over

medium-high heat for 7 minutes.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low,

and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

3. Season to taste.

4. Serve with toppings of your choice, or the ones

listed above.

(Note:

To toast the rice, put the uncooked grain in a

nonstick pan preheated to medium-high and stir

constantly for about 5 minutes, or until it is lightly

browned.)

Since this is such a thick soup, I like to have this

rolled up in a tortilla for leftovers the next day. This

recipe also lends itself well to using different

ingredients that you have on hand. Switch up the

beans, use some roasted corn, or add some kale. If

you don’t want it to be so thick, add some additional

stock or water. Enjoy!

From drmcdougall.com

This Mexican Rice Soup recipe caught my attention because I love all the ingredients. But as we all know, sometimes "healthy" doesn't satisfy the palate. I followed the recipe to the letter and Rusty's comment was, "It isn't healthy if no one will eat it." So we doctored it a bit. It's still healthy, but not as strictly as the original. 

We put TWO Tablespoons of chili powder in it for more spice. Because it has tomatoes in it, they tend to taste acidic, we cut that with 2 teaspoons of raw sugar. We added a teaspoon of salt. We also added a cup of roasted corn. 

I recommend you start with the original recipe, then add to that as needed. We used the tortilla suggestion and ate it as a taco filling. Very nice. 

Creamy Tomato Soup

1c Raw cashews
2c* Water
1T Onion powder
1t Sea salt
3T** Olive oil
1t Oregano
1-2T Dry sweet basil or handful of fresh basil
2T Honey

Mix in ingredients in blender until completely smooth.
Then add:

1 qt. Stewed tomatoes

and blend again until completely smooth, heat all or as much as you will eat right then and store the rest in refrigerator for later.

*Add more water up to three cups for desired thickness
**If you measure the olive oil first, when you measure the honey it slides right out of the spoon.
Adjust spice measurement to your taste buds.


Shared by Angie Reijnders