The Sexy Forever Recipe Bible (67 page)

SERVES 4

Serving Suggestions
 Use zucchini noodles in place of pasta. Toss them with
Basil-Parsley Pesto
. Or serve with
Pan-Fried Garlic Lemon Shrimp
or with
Caroline’s Meat Sauce
.

cumin-scented zucchini

HEALTHY FATS, VEGETABLES
DETOX, LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2

6 medium zucchini, about 1½ inches in diameter

1 tablespoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lemon wedges

Quarter the zucchini lengthwise. Cut each strip into ½-inch pieces. Each piece will be triangular in shape.

Heat a 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Add the cumin and stir for 10 seconds to bring out the flavor. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add the garlic, then the zucchini. Turn the heat to high and sauté for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice over the zucchini and serve.

SERVES 4

grilled vegetable towers

HEALTHY FATS, VEGETABLES
DETOX, LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2

2 medium zucchini, sliced on the diagonal into ½-inch slices

1 red onion, cut into ½-inch rings

1 red bell pepper, cored, quartered, and seeded

1 yellow bell pepper, cored, quartered, and seeded

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into ½-inch slices

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 large eggplant, cut into ½-inch-thick slices

Olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup balsamic vinegar

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Heat the grill to medium high.

Brush all the vegetables with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place as many vegetables on the grill as will fit at one time. The onions, pepper, and fennel will take the longest. Grill until tender. You want them to have char marks, but not to be burned.

Place the vinegar in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce by half or more, until thickened and syrupy.

Stack the grilled vegetables into 4 towers. Start with a slice of eggplant, then the onions, then the red pepper, the fennel, the yellow pepper, then the zucchini. (Stack another layer high, if you wish, with the leftover vegetables.) Strew the tomatoes around the plate. Crumble the feta cheese over the top. Drizzle the hot balsamic vinegar over the top and serve.

SERVES 4

caramelized root vegetables

HEALTHY FATS, VEGETABLES
DETOX, LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2