Cooking Your Way to Gorgeous (22 page)

2
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and stir. Spoon this dressing over the carrot and papaya. Serve immediately.

PUMPKIN-PAPAYA REVITALIZING FACIAL

To gently remove dead skin cells and firm tired flesh, a mud scrub with powerful fruit enzymes will revitalize skin. Mix pumpkin and papaya with Kaolin clay, or with any clay or “mud” mask you may have in your medicine cabinet. Apply to clean skin; leave on until dry. Remove by flushing the skin with cold water, then moisturize. This is also a great treatment for legs to tighten up tired-looking skin. When done, slather a rich cream onto legs.

HONEY, YOUR HANDS

Honey is a natural moisturizer and ambrosia of so many uses. For this skin-smoothing treatment you will need to sacrifice one pair of socks that you do not mind discarding after use. Using a paintbrush or a synthetic fiber makeup brush, dip the brush into a jar of raw honey and generously paint a layer of it, about 1/4-inch thick, onto one hand and then cover it like a mitt with one of the socks. Then, with your honey-mitten hand, do the same for your other hand. Leave on for 30 minutes and then rinse off thoroughly. Your hands reveal your age, sometimes even more so than your face, so smooth out and soften your hands to reverse the clock.

Tangy Tighter-Tummy Salad

Makes 4 Servings

O
kay . . . nothing you can eat makes a tummy tighter, but this is a tasty salad you can enjoy to keep it from becoming “fluffier.” In my opinion, this dish is like a light and refreshing version of coleslaw. Everyone who has tasted it at my house loves it. The capsaicin in the chile pepper can reduce hunger and increase energy expenditure, in turn burning calories. Water-rich grapefruit hydrates your body and makes you feel fuller, jicama [hih-ka-muh] is low in carbs and high in fiber. Pistachios are one of the lowest fat, highest fiber nuts around. So dig in.

Ingredients: Vinaigrette

1 small, thin Serrano chile, diced—vitamin C

1 large garlic clove, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1-1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (a flavor booster that can be used in place of salt, commonly found in the Asian foods aisle in supermarkets)

Salad

3 grapefruits, peeled and segmented

1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded

1/3 cup cilantro leaves, divided, leaving 2 tablespoons as garnish

3/4 pound jicama, peeled and shredded—low-cal root veggie, vitamin C, fiber

2 tablespoons crushed, roasted pistachios, as garnish

Preparation:

1
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.

2
In a large serving bowl, toss together the salad ingredients. Lightly coat with the vinaigrette. Scatter the pistachios on top and garnish with 2 tablespoons of remaining cilantro leaves.

Chicken Sauté with
Bell- and Chile-Pepper Kick

Makes 4 Servings

Hero Recipe!

L
ots of healthy things are happening in this dish. A great source of protein among slenderizing veggies, such as tricolored bell peppers, rich in antioxidant carotenoids, heart-healthy garlic, and vitamin C–rich chile pepper.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup grapeseed oil, divided

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into strips

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 medium-size red chile pepper, chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon dried basil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, divided

Preparation:

1
Heat 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides. Remove from the heat, and set aside.

2
Heat the remaining oil in the skillet over medium heat, and stir in the red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, onion, and chile pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until tender. Mix in the garlic, and cook and stir for about 1 minute. Mix in the basil and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

3
Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Stir in the remaining balsamic vinegar just before serving.

Baked Tilapia
with Bell Peppers

Makes 4 Servings

T
he most commonly found bell peppers are green, red, orange, or yellow, but purple, blue, brown, and white bell peppers are out there, too. Green bell peppers are more bitter than the other colors, giving them a slightly sharper flavor that’s more acidic. When cooked, the acid is absorbed by the juices and the fish. Go with the color you like.

TIP:
If you buy fresh tilapia fillets, avoid musky scents. If you buy frozen tilapia, carefully check the fish when thawed and discard it if it feels mushy, or if its smell makes your nose crinkle. The fish should also have moist, shiny, and tightly adhering scales.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

4 tablespoons tomato paste—lycopene to protect cells from free radicals

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 (4-ounce) tilapia fillets—a fab, flab-fighting fish!

2 bell peppers, sliced into thin rounds

1 onion, sliced into thin rounds—flavonoids

4 tablespoons butter

Preparation:

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2
Use roughly ¼ cup of olive oil to grease the bottom of a baking dish.

3
Mix the remaining ½ cup of olive oil with the tomato paste, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

4
Place the tilapia fillets in a large baking dish with the skin-side up.

5
Use a spatula to spread the olive oil mixture over the fish.

6
Surround the tilapia fillets with bell peppers and onion.

7
Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake until the tilapia fillets can be easily flaked with a fork. This will normally take around 15 minutes.

8
Remove the dish from the oven and place 1 tablespoon of butter on top of each tilapia fillet. Set the oven to broil; broil the fish until the butter melts and becomes slightly brown, about 4 to 7 minutes.

Grilled Fish Tacos with
Radish-Cabbage Slaw

Makes 4 Servings

R
adishes are low in digestible carbohydrates, high in roughage, and contain a lot of water. They are a wee bit sharp in flavor—kind of like a potato-onion sans onion breath—and a good dietary option for those determined to lose weight. I think they balance and work nicely in this tangy slaw.

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus leaves for serving

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 lime, zested and juiced, plus 4 lime wedges for serving

1 lemon, zested and juiced, plus 4 lemon wedges for serving

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil

4 (5-ounce) red snapper fillets, skin on—selenium, vitamin A, omega-3s

8 radishes, julienned—rich in folic acid

6 ounces green cabbage, finely shredded (about 2 cups)

2 scallions, julienned

1 firm avocado, peeled and pitted

1/2 tablespoon honey

8 (4-inch) flour tortillas

Preparation:

1
Mash the garlic and salt into a fine paste and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the cilantro, chipotle powder, oregano, lime and lemon zest, and grapeseed oil. Cut 2 slashes in the skin of each fish fillet. Flip, and rub half the spice mixture onto the fish; reserve the remaining half.

2
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the fish, skin-side up first for about 4 minutes. Flip once, until cooked through, about another 4 minutes.

3
Remove the skin from the fish, and discard. Flake the fish into large pieces, discarding any bones. Combine the fish with the remaining spice mixture and toss with 1 teaspoon lime juice and 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

4
Toss the radishes, cabbage, and scallions in a bowl. Mash the avocado in a separate bowl; stir in 1/2 tablespoon of lime juice, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1/2 tablespoon of honey.

5
Heat the tortillas in a skillet over high heat, and amass onto a plate.

6
Spread mashed avocado onto each tortilla. Top with the fish, slaw, and cilantro leaves. Fold the tortillas over the filling, and serve with lime and lemon wedges.

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Makes 8 Servings

M
ake a great dinner tonight that tastes decadent and is good for you, too. Sour cream gives your skin health-promoting lactic acid, and skinless chicken breasts are a supreme, low-fat protein. These enchiladas are made with a fresh green salsa, just like you would find in a Mexican restaurant. Your dining companions will be verde with envy over this recipe.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds bone-in chicken breast halves, skin removed

1/2 medium white onion, halved crosswise

1 whole clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro

1-1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed

1 jalapeño chile

1 poblano chile

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

2 ounces reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup sour cream, thinned with 2 tablespoons water

Preparation:

1
Place the chicken, 1/2 of the onion, the garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover by at least 1 inch. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat.

2
Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 18 to 22 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid; set aside.

3
Let the chicken cool on a plate. When cool enough to handle, shred (discard bones).

4
Coarsely chop 1/2 cup of cilantro, and toss with the chicken.

5
Preheat the broiler, with the rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Broil the tomatillos and chiles on a rimmed baking sheet, rotating them as they blacken, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool. Remove the blackened skins, stems, ribs, and seeds (optional) from the mixture. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.

6
Coarsely purée the tomatillos and the chile mixture in a blender with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the remaining 1-1/2 cups of cilantro, and the reserved 3/4 cup of cooking liquid. Transfer the salsa to a large bowl.