Mals Lazy Tomato & Basil soup

Tomato & Basil Soup Garnished with Blackpepper & Basil

This tasty warming soup is filled with nutrients, and loaded with heart healthy Lycopene. This is a compound found in tomatoes, and the potency of it is actually enhanced by gently cooking the tomatoes for over 20 minutes. The onion and garlic also add to the cardiovascular benefits of this rich soup, especially if you set them aside exposed to the air for at least 5 minutes after chopping. This allows the oxygen in the air to bind with and further enrich the sulphur containing compounds that are involved in many of onions health benefits. Anyway, that's enough science, here's what you need...

32 Foods which prevent harmful cancers

I love food, and I love experimenting in the kitchen with new ingredients. I'm also a total nerd, and thankfully have never lost my childish curiosity. I keep asking what, how and why. Over the last few years, I've been applying this thirst for knowledge to the foods I love.  Well, the more I learn, the more interesting things get.

I've mentioned phytonutrients before (those health enhancing substances found only in plants) in relation to blueberries and how they help preserve nerve function. I've mentioned how ginger can help prevent muscle soreness (it's also been clinically proven to be better at preventing travel sickness than any tablet on the market). I've also mentioned how the lycopene in tomatoes is a powerful anti-cancer compound. But tomatoes aren't the only effective food. In fact, there are lots of them. Here's a list. For best results, have 5 or more of these foods, 3 times a week or more.

If you are interested in how these foods help prevent harmful cancers, then I recommend watching this 24 minute video from last years TED conference. Also, please bear in mind that this list only includes foods which fight cancer by this one method. Some foods work by a different mechanism.

Cheap, quick & tasty lunch idea

One of the most common barriers people seem to have to healthy eating is that 'it's too expensive'. I disagree. Take my lunch today, a delicious and healthy veg stirfry with couscous. It takes about 15 minutes including prep time.

• Step 1

Go to aldi, and pick up a head of cabbage (59c), a pack of fresh tomatoes (59c), courgettes (€1.29) a punnet of mushrooms (59c), a can of red kidney beans (25c), a pack of cous cous -  I went for the thai curry style(99c).
If you don't already have some, get some sunflower oil and soy sauce.

• Step 2

Drain the kidney beans and rinse well. Prep the veg by rinsing the cabbage and tomatoes. Take the outermost 3-4 leaves and chop into short strips. Wipe 1/2 of the shrooms with a clean damp cloth, then chop into bitesize chunks. Chop a courgette into small pieces. Chop 3 tomatoes into quarters.

• Step 3

Place 1 sachet of cous cous in a saucepan and cook according to the instructions. Heat some oil in a wok and stirfry the cabbage for 1-2 minutes on a medium-high heat. Add in the mushrooms, courgettes & beans,  and about a tablespoon or so of soy sauce; fry for 2 mins then add the tomatoes. Stirfry for another minute.

• Step 4

Remove and serve with the couscous. This will make 2 medium lunches. Total cost about  €4.30, and you've only used half of the ingredients.

Enjoy.

Update:
To improve the amino acid (protein) content, use a mix of beans , chickpeas and/or lentils. Add a rich yellow colour and improve the cancer fighting properties of this meal by adding a teaspoon of turmeric per person. Add black pepper to enhance the flavour, and improve protein digestion.