Cold Tomato And Fennel Cream With Crudités

The more the tomato is known , the more surprising it is. Its essential characteristic is that it is a “surviving” plant, whose fruits have such healthy properties that laboratories try to encapsulate them in pills.

Tomato is low in calories, one hundred grams provide only 18 calories, since most of its weight (95%) corresponds to water.

Tasty and light the tomato is the king of our kitchen

Its bittersweet taste is due to a small amount of simple sugars and some organic acids, such as citric and malic, responsible for making it appetizing and digestive. Compared to other fruits and vegetables, it has little fiber (1.8%) but the seeds, pulp and skin are sufficient to promote intestinal transit.

In addition to lycopene, it stands out for its content in the trio of antioxidant vitamins C, E and A, the latter in the form of the precursor beta-carotene. The three vitamins prevent tissue degeneration, premature agingand collaborate with the immune system.

The content of B group vitamins stands out, higher than that of other vegetables, especially vitamins B1, B6 and especially folic acid (200 g cover 25% of the needs). These nutrients favor the obtaining of energy from food and benefit the nervous system.

The tomato has a good variety of minerals. The most abundant are potassium (300 mg / 100g), phosphorus (27 mg) and magnesium (20 mg). The iron it provides is not negligible (0.5 mg / 100 g), so that 200 grams make it possible to cover 6% of the daily needs in adult women and 8% in men.

Ingredients for 4 servings

• 6 ripe tomatoes
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium fennel
• 300 ml of vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon of agave
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• Olive oil, white pepper and salt
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 stalk of celery and stalks of fresh chives

Preparation (12 minutes + 20 minutes of cooking)

1. In a saucepan with the hot oil, brown the sliced ​​garlic and julienne onion.
2. The fennel is added, the chopped tomatoes are sautéed and the broth and honey are added to the casserole.
3. Cover and cook for ten minutes over medium heat.
4. Everything is crushed, the vinegar is added and it is passed through a Chinese strainer.
5. It is allowed to cool in the refrigerator.
6. It is served in small cups garnished with carrot sticks, zucchini, celery, and chives.

Nutritional information

• One serving provides: 199 calories, 22 g of carbohydrates, 6 g of protein and 9 g of fat.
• It also provides 80% of the necessary folic acid per day.