This tofu tomoato relish is the perfect appetizer for your New Year's party. It's a simple, no-cook relish, and also works well as a dip, or spread with crusty bread, or tossed with pasta and served hot as an entree, or as a topping for baked potatoes. Additionally, it makes an excellent topping on pita bread for Instant Pizza. This is a potluck favorite, with chunks of fresh sourdough bread. The flavor intensifies with time. It keeps up to 4 days, if refrigerated.

Ingredients:

1 block firm tofu (packed in water)
2 14oz cans ready cut tomatoes
20 Kalamata olives (or to taste)
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1-2 tablespoons purple onion (optional)
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Wrap tofu in a towel, squeezing it slightly, and let sit until the towel is thoroughly saturated with moisture, at least 5 minutes and up to several hours, if you have time. You can change the towel when it gets saturated.
2. Drain the canned tomatoes in a strainer over a deep bowl. You can save the tomato liquid for soup or stock.
3. Pit and chop the Kalamata olives.
4. Chop the basil and garlic and onion (optional).
5. When the tofu is ready, crumble it into a separate bowl using your hands.
6. Add garlic, basil and purple onion (optional) and mix thoroughly.
7. Mix with fork and marinate 5 minutes. Then add the drained tomatoes to tofu mixture.
8. Top with coarsely ground black pepper. Adjust seasonings and add more olive oil if desired. Mix again with fork.

Visit tastyandmeatless.org for this and other recipes!

Follow Your Heart brings you Cary Brown's, Country Smoked, Chicken Free Chicken, the ultimate vegetarian poultry replacement. It has all the goodness of a slowly smoked delicacy together with ready-to-eat convenience.

Whether you are a homemaker, professional chef, or head of an institutional food service program, Chicken Free Chicken answers the call for a healthful, nutritious and delicious substitute for poultry in any recipe. Fully cooked and ready to serve, Chicken Free Chicken is incredibly versatile. Enjoy it cold in sandwiches, salads, spreads and pates, or as a hot entree, complemented by your favorite dressing, gravy, or sauce. This is truly a dish that will be appreciated and applauded by vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

For nutrition facts, visit the Follow Your Heart website!

Fruits, Veggies Help Prevent Breast Cancer

We have always known that eating fruits and vegetables is good for your health. A new study sheds new light on the role fruits and vegetables play in preventing the most prevalent form of breast cancer.

A new study from the University of North Carolina and four other institutions found women who ate 35 servings of fruits and vegetables a week had a 30% lower risk of breast cancer.

For the greatest effect, Mia Gaudet, a UNC nutritionist, recommends that for the best effect you should eat your fruits and vegetables raw, not cooked, and choose those with the deepest color. "In general, the more colors on your plate, the better," Gaudet said.

Raw vegetables, in general, are better for you than cooked. One exception is tomatoes, which release the nutrient lycopene only when cooked.

For details read the full article!

Currently a sophomore at the University of Central Florida, Rick Kump has accomplished what some activists achieve in a lifetime. A vegan for 5 years, Rick works towards his ideal world, in which humans and animals coexist as peacefully as possible.

Animal rights literature follows Rick wherever he goes. He has helped dozens of people over the internet, mostly young people, switch to a vegetarian diet. A certified Nutrition Specialist from Ekaya Health Institute, Rick also does vegan nutrition counseling for adults over the phone. Additionally, he has organized and attended local protests for animal welfare, and has participated in national and international conferences for animals rights.

Most recently, Rick and students from the Body of Animal Rights Campaigners gathered in front of the Student Union at the University of Central Florida before Thanksgiving to pass out animals rights and vegan literature.

To learn more about Rick click here!