Brain Support: Healthy Fried Green Tomatoes

A Summer Bouquet as Summer is Almost Over

And as summer is almost done, green tomatoes abound. Because they contain all sorts of great anti-oxidants, tomatoes support all sorts of great brain activity. Even green tomatoes. And what could be better than more brain activity, hence more creativity?

So here's a couple of recipes:

Healthy Fried Green Tomatoes
(Secret: They're healthy because they're not fried.)
There are two ways to make these, both are delicious.

For small green tomatoes, about a half pound:
In a large bowl combine:
1/3 c. olive oil
1 tbsp basil (fresh if you've grown it)
1 tsp garlic powder (or one fresh clove chopped very fine)
1 tsp onion powder (or tbsp chopped fresh, again very fine)
Pepper to taste if you like pepper
Chop small tomatoes into cubes, can be bite sized. Add to olive oil and spices and mix well. Pour into baking pan--works best if all pieces are touching but all on the bottom of the pan. Bake at 375 to 400 degrees (depending on your oven) for 10 minutes, then stir and bake for another 10 minutes, or until still a little firm. Then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if you like Parmesan cheese and broil until cheese is lightly browned.

For huge green tomatoes (beefsteaks for example):
Make mixture.
Place halved tomatoes in baking pan, best if touching.
Drizzle 1/2 mixture over tomatoes.
Bake for 15 minutes, then drizzle other half and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until still slightly firm.
Add Parmesan or broil plain to finish.

This simple recipe can be tweaked to your own personal tastes. For example, I can never use too much basil, especially if it's fresh. Use mozzarella cheese for a heartier dish. Or when you're ready to broil the tomatoes, add hot cooked ground beef and cheese for a main course.

Simple, easy, healthy.

So how many of you have green tomatoes? How many have recipes for same?