Food Friday | June 19, 2015

Cheese & Tomatoes

Now that tomatoes are in season I am trying to find new ways to work them into every meal! Besides being high in vitamin C, low in calories and fat free, tomatoes have so much to offer (as if all that isn't enough!). Tomatoes are jam packed with vitamins and minerals and they provide 7% of your daily recommended fiber in just 1 serving (1 cup). 

Other benefits include:

+ Helps protect skin against sun damage 

+ Helps fight osteoporosis by improving bone mass

+ Helps fight a long list of cancers

+ Helps regulate blood sugar levels

+ Helps improve vision

+ Helps make hair strong and shiny

+ Helps prevent kidney stones and gallstones

+ Helps reduce chronic pain

+ Helps to lose weight

Besides tasting amazing, these other benefits have really inspired me to work more tomatoes into my diet. I have found myself pairing tomatoes with cheese on a regular basis as I really love the combination of the fresh tomatoes with the rich cheese. 

*Bread: Country Harvest 12 Grain, Cheese: Black Diamond Old Cheddar, Tomatoes: on the vine. One sandwich contains 240 calories, 20g fat, 34mg cholesterol, 580mg sodium, 3.4g carbs, 7.8g protein, 16% vitamin A, 24% calcium, 1% iron.*

I was making grilled cheese and leek soup for family dinner the other day. Typically, my favourite grilled cheese combination is old cheddar with bacon strips. I decided to mix it up a bit and add tomato slices instead of bacon and I definitely was not disappointed! I highly recommend this combination. The tomatoes stayed fairly crisp but were warm, and paired with the ooey-gooey old cheddar it was perfection!

*Fries: McCain's Crispy French Fries, Cheese: Black Diamond Old Cheddar, Chicken: baked seasoned chicken breast, Tomatoes; on the vine. One serving is 409 calories, 15g fat, 400mg sodium, 27g carbs, 10g protein, 4% viatmin A, 10% calcium, 177mg protassium.*

My second creation was inspired by the McCain's "Modifry" ads on recent YouTube videos. I used McCain's crispy french fries (I baked them), old cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and some diced chicken breast. This honestly tasted similar to The Works at New York Fries! It is absolutely delicious and I'm sure I will be making this again!

Thanks for reading, xo, Katelyn