Cooking Your Way to Gorgeous (23 page)

7
Using tongs, toast the tortillas over an open flame of a gas stove, 5 to 10 seconds per side. (Or heat the tortillas in a skillet over high heat.)

8
Dip 1 tortilla into the salsa to coat lightly. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture on half of the tortilla. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese on top, and roll up. Place it seam-side down in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Repeat to make more enchiladas, lining them up snugly in the dish. Spoon the remaining salsa on top, and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.

9
Slice the remaining 1/2 onion, and scatter over the top; drizzle with sour cream.

Ricotta and Spinach
Stuffed Noodles

Makes 6 to 8 Servings

Hero Recipe!

P
art-skim ricotta keeps calories at bay; spinach and bulgur deliver antioxidants and fiber. The complex carbs in pasta boost serotonin, the mood-stabilizing neurochemical, which is what makes pasta a comfort food.

Ingredients:

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Coarse salt and ground black pepper

3/4 cup boiling water

1/2 cup bulgur—a natural weight-loss food high in fiber and protein

2 packages whole-grain lasagna noodles

1 pound spinach, stems removed—vitamin A promotes healthy skin

1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten—protein

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preparation:

1
Pulse the tomatoes and their juices in a food processor until smooth.

2
Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce cool.

3
Heat the oven to 350°F. Pour boiling water over bulgur, cover, and let stand until it’s soft and the water is absorbed, about 30 minutes.

4
Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain, remove, and lay out flat; let cool.

5
Steam the spinach, covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. Gently squeeze out the excess moisture, coarsely chop, and add to the bulgur. Stir in the ricotta. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the egg.

6
Coat the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with 1 cup of sauce. Spoon the filling into the noodles, wrap, and arrange in the pan with the seam-side down. Add the remaining sauce, cover with foil, and bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan before serving.

TBG Shells

Makes 3 to 4 Servings

T
hese tomato-basil-garlic shells are so good. There’s nothing quite as comforting as sitting down to a steaming hot bowl of plentiful pasta, and sharing kind conversation with a friend. Add a bottle of wine to the mix and you’re totally in the zone. Serve this dish to an acquaintance and upgrade to BFF. Beauty-boosting ingredients such as garlic and cherry tomatoes in these TBGs will TCB (take care of business), and leave your tummy happy.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

About 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1-1/4 pounds (1 quart) small cherry and teardrop tomatoes—lycopene

3/4 pound medium seashell pasta (if you can find them in whole wheat, even better)

1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese—high in calcium

1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves—helps fight the common cold

Preparation:

1
Combine the oil, garlic, and salt in a large bowl. Chop 1 cup of the tomatoes and add to the bowl. Cut the remaining tomatoes in half and stir into the mixture; let stand about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2
Cook the pasta as the package directs in a large pot of salted boiling water.

3
Drain the pasta, saving 1 cup of water. Toss the pasta with the tomato mixture, then add the cheese and all but 1 tablespoon of basil. Mix in a little pasta water if needed for a looser texture. Sprinkle the remaining basil on top and season with salt.

TIP:
To slough off dead skin on elbows and legs, mix kosher salt with olive oil and scrub on skin for an exfoliation treatment. Or oil up first, then put salt in a saltshaker and sprinkle it on before scrubbing. It feels like light magical rain and leaves skin remarkably soft.

Va-Va’s Pumpkin Pancakes

Makes 6 Servings

Power to the pumpkin. Kids love pumpkins for the obvious reason: pumpkins = Halloween = candy! But you can leverage this gourdlike squash in so many other ways. Pumpkins contain high levels of beta-carotene, in the form of vitamin A. A single-cup serving of pumpkin or other winter squash has 145 percent of a child’s daily requirement for vitamin A. Pumpkin also boasts vitamin C, potassium, fiber, manganese, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, thiamin, copper, tryptophan, and B-complex vitamins. If you like pancakes, these are your healthy option. Va-Va would be proud.

Ingredients: Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat pancake mix

1 cup filtered water

1/3 cup canned pumpkin—excellent source of carotenes

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon probiotics powder—alkalizing, provides true energy to a depleted body

Syrup

5 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds

1 cup simple syrup flavored with vanilla extract—maple syrup counteracts the pumpkin taste so stick with simple syrup

Preparation: Pancakes

1
In a medium bowl, whisk the pancake mix, water, pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger into a lumpy consistency.

2
Spray the griddle with nonstick spray and warm over medium heat.

3
To form a pancake, spoon roughly 2 tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. Cook until bubbling, flip, and cook for 2 additional minutes.

4
Plate the pancakes, sprinkle on probiotics powder, then top with syrup.

Syrup

1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roast the seeds for 5 minutes on a foil-lined baking sheet.

2
Remove the seeds from the oven and combine with the syrup in the bowl.

ANTI-AGING AND CLARIFYING PUMPKIN-LETTUCE FACIAL

Pumpkin is excellent for skin clarity. Rubbed on the face or body, or ingested, pumpkin enzymes work wonders on the skin. If you can eat them and rub them on, you get the power of two, the best for inside-out health and beauty. Try this anti-aging and clarifying facial:

You will need some iceberg lettuce leaves and a small can each of condensed milk and pumpkin mix. Wash and dry the lettuce and place in the freezer for a few minutes until the leaves are ice cold. Start your facial by cleansing the skin with a gentle exfoliator. Then layer on your face the condensed milk—a thick lactic acid penetrator. Follow by layering on the canned pumpkin. Go thick. Next, press the chilled lettuce leaves onto your face until your face is covered. Leave on for 15 to 30 minutes, or as long as you can stand it. Remove the lettuce when through, and rinse your face with warm water.

TIP:
I use and believe in glycolic acids for exfoliation, but I prefer lactic acid. Glycolic acid is highly volatile when you work with it directly on bare skin. It is best used in a cream or lotion base that acts as a cushion between the acid actives and bare skin. Lactic acid is just as effective, but it’s derived from milk acid so it’s gentler even when used in higher concentrations than glycolic acids.

Secrets from Va-Va

Use a dab of olive oil to massage toenails, cuticles, nail corners, and nail beds. This will not only soften skin and cuticle brittleness but will release tension and sensations of tightness from your toes, and subsequently, your feet.

Shrimp and Spinach
Shiitake Mushroom Risotto

Makes 4 Servings

P
erhaps you have bigger fish to fry, but know this: Shrimp are the sexy fish. Why? Because they have virtually no fat and are packed with protein, making them the ultimate weight-management food, and, although they don’t travel well due to the need for refrigeration, shrimp are a great healthy snack, raw or cooked. This recipe also calls for shiitakes—the gourmet super mushroom! They have a meaty flavor that is delicious and contain an active component called lentinan, which strengthens and stimulates immune response, helping to clear out infection and disease. The shiitake mushroom also contains a good supply of long-chain sugars called polysaccharides, which provide a long-burning fuel source. They’re an excellent source of vitamin D, too, and they can reduce cholesterol. Risotto is a rich multi-ingredient dish that is based around rice as its main starch.

Ingredients:

3-3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1-1/2 cups chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms (smoky flavor)—immune system support

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup uncooked arborio rice—healthy grain

1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1 pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:

1
In a small saucepan, heat the broth and keep it warm.

2
In a large nonstick skillet, sauté the mushrooms and onion in butter until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic; cook for 1 minute longer. Add the rice; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully stir in 1 cup of the heated broth. Cook and stir until all of the liquid is absorbed.

3
Add the remaining broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly. Allow the liquid to absorb between additions. Cook just until the risotto mixture you have created is creamy/loose in the skillet and the rice is almost tender, about 20 minutes.

4
Add the spinach, shrimp, cheese, and pepper; cook and stir until the spinach is wilted and the shrimp are heated through.

Chicken Potpie Squares
with Mushrooms

Makes 6 Servings

I
f you’ve got leftover chicken (or turkey), making a potpie is a great way to finish it off and turn it into a different meal. Potpie is a satisfying dish that incorporates protein, starch, vegetables, and spices in every forkful. I ate many of them when I traveled through London. To knock off some time, in this recipe you will be baking the entire pie in one dish, rather than breaking it out into mini-pie tins. You can square off your portions to the desired size after.