Tomatoes are abundant right now -- trust me. I have three large bags full of them from our CSA Farm, and some fresh tomato sauce simmering on the stove as I type.

Needless to say, I've been scouring the internet looking for some new tomato recipes to try that take advantage of the healthy tomato, bursting with vitamin C and lycopene. So I checked out the top 25 tomato recipes on Cooking Light, and what do you suppose I found?

Well, good and bag things, really. Here's a breakdown of the recipes that ... caught my eye, let's say, and what you might decide to substitute for a healthier choice.



Fresh tomato lasagna -- Holy cheese, Batman! They make an attempt at lightening up the recipe by using tofu in place of some of the cheese, but it is still a fairly fatty dish, and fats coming from conventionally raised dairy aren't the best choice.

Garlicky tomato tart -- I'd steer clear of this recipe unless you substitute a whole grain crust for the one made with white flour.

Tomato green bean risotto with feta cheese -- Using short grain brown rice will make this dish a go!

Grilled eggplant, tomato, provalone and sun-dried tomato-pesto sandwich -- Use whole grain or better yet, sprouted grain bread and you've got another winner.

Sun-dried tomato semolina biscuits -- Yeah, just don't make these. Between the flour and the buttermilk, you can't pretend these are healthy!

OK, I'm pausing here to let you know that there are a lot of recipes on this list that use bread items made with white flour, and that's never OK. If you can substitute a whole grain, make the pizza, make the flatbread.

Fried green tomatoes banana cream pie -- Don't even read this recipe; your healthful nature will be greatly insulted.

Sweet-spicy cucumbers over tomatoes -- Please don't use the refined sugar this recipe calls for if you choose to make it. Raw honey, agave syrup or sucanat are better choices.

The other recipes? If I stop being absurdly picky, they are mostly healthy, and some are even pretty good. But I have learned that just because a recipe is deemed "light" does not mean that it is necessarily good for you.