The Sexy Forever Recipe Bible (55 page)

2 ripe red or yellow tomatoes, medium diced

2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from canned chipotles)

½ red onion, finely diced

½ chipotle chile, finely diced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Juice from ½ lime

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, or 1½ teaspoons dried

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, gently combine all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

MAKES 2 CUPS

vegetables

Of everything
I do for my health, perhaps nothing is more important than the amount of fresh organic vegetables I give my body each day. I believe this is nature’s best preventive medicine, and it happens also to be the food I love most. The thrill of my organic garden lasts all year, bringing gifts throughout the seasons. Whether you are growing your own, shopping at a farmers’ market, or buying them in your local grocery store, enjoy the freshest vegetables you can find year-round; and always buy organic, if you can.

I am giddy when I see the bright yellow blossoms sprout on my zucchini plants and know the bounty is soon to follow. Once they form, I like to chop the zucchini raw, shred it into noodles, char it on the grill, or enjoy them braised or sautéed. Zucchini have a long season, so you can get creative. I feel joyous when the spiny artichokes start popping up on my plants. Every day another twenty or so are ready, so I can clip them at will. You’ll discover recipes here to steam, grill, and even deep-fry them. I know they can seem expensive
in stores, but knowing firsthand the amount of time it takes to grow an artichoke, I can appreciate the cost of this incredible gift from nature.

I eat tomatoes daily, especially in the summer when heirlooms are in season. Loaded with lycopene, they are heart healthy and a cancer preventative. Once you eat a homegrown tomato, it’s very difficult to go back to store-bought. Most in-store tomatoes are picked green and ripened artificially. No wonder they are pink and mealy, and no wonder I wouldn’t eat them as a kid! Remember, never store tomatoes in the fridge. It absolutely destroys the flavor. In the off season, I use Romas to make my signature
Candied Tomatoes
; I roast them in the oven with thyme, then store them in oil. They become sweet and caramelized. These tomatoes are used in many ways throughout the book—on top of fish, in making tarts, tossed into salads, or served with chicken. You’ll love them.

The lesser celebrated vegetable, celery root, is also worthy of a mention. A low-glycemic alternative to insulin-spiking potatoes,
Celery Root Puree
has a delicate, creamy, subtle flavor and mashes just like potatoes. An especially important tip for those following the Sexy Forever Weight Loss Plan.

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, peppers—this seasonal show will light up your taste buds and fill your body with immune-building nutrition. Our mothers were right when they told us, “Eat your vegetables!”

steamed artichokes with lemon-dill mayonnaise

PROTEIN, HEALTHY FATS, VEGETABLES
DETOX, LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2

Juice from 2 lemons

4 large artichokes

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 recipe
Lemon-Dill Mayonnaise

Place the lemon juice in a large bowl of water. Trim the artichokes by cutting off the stalks and removing the tough outer leaves. Slice about half of the artichoke off the top, cutting off inedible, prickly leaf tips and barely exposing the purple center or choke. Trim the tips off any remaining prickly leaves with scissors. Reserve the prepared artichokes in the bowl of lemon water to prevent discoloration.

Add about 4 inches of water, the celery seed, and dill in the bottom of a steamer. Place the artichokes in the steamer basket and steam until tender. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the artichoke, from 40 to 60 minutes. Place each on a serving plate with a generous dollop of lemon-dill mayonnaise.

SERVES 4

tuscan deep-fried artichokes

HEALTHY FATS, VEGETABLES
DETOX, LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2

4 large artichokes

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 quarts (or more) grapeseed oil, for frying

Clean the artichokes by trimming off the bottom stalks and removing the tough outer leaves. Pull the leaves apart to slightly expose the center. Sprinkle the inside and between the leaves as best you can with salt and pepper.