**Tomato Feta Salad**

Now that Spring is officially here I have definitely incorporated more salads into my diet. This salad is to honor the anti-cancer compound in tomatoes, lycopene that has been shown to be especially potent in combating prostate cancer.

In addition to preventing prostate cancer, lycopene may also protect against breast, lung, stomach, and pancreatic cancer.

This recipe comes from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa herself from her cookbook "Barefoot Contessa at Home". My wife has been making great things from her cookbooks of late. Ina never seems to fail me with any of the recipes I try of hers so I thought I would give this Greek inspired dish a try. Add a touch of turmeric, a chili pepper or a clove of garlic and serve it with a glass of red wine and you will be fighting cancer BIG TIME with the cancer fighting properties of these foods….Now it can be argued that feta is the not the best food for cancer but I eat it on occasion in my salads or my homemade pizzas (instead of cow cheese)


**Tomato Feta Salad**

3 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
12 ounces feta cheese, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine or champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
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Cut the tomatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Add the onion, vinegar, salt, olive oil, pepper, basil and parsley and toss well. Dice the feta into 1/2 - 3/4-inch cubes, crumbling it as little as possible. Gently fold it into the salad and serve at room temperature