Cooking Your Way to Gorgeous (28 page)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1/2 cup soft raisins

1/2 teaspoon ground flaxseeds

1/2 cup organic cornflakes—
gluten-free

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

1
Chop the nuts finely.

2
Toss the nuts into a bowl with the raisins, flaxseed, and cornflakes.

3
Gently melt the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler.

4
Pour the chocolate into the bowl with the nut mixture, and stir all the ingredients together.

5
Drop the mixture onto parchment paper by using a small tablespoon.

6
Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Olive Oil Ice Cream

Makes 1 Quart

I
ce cream is a delightful indulgence, but olive oil ice cream is a treat you can feel good about eating. Ingredients that are good for your skin make up for those extra calories, which you’ll burn off at the gym anyway, right? In a basic custard base, olive oil substitutes for some of the heavy cream, as you will see below. The key to achieving a yummy ice cream is great-tasting olive oil, and it is also a major skin-care ingredient. You don’t want to use a peppery, grassy, or herbal olive oil; go with a fruity-flavored, sweeter-aroma type. This innovative take on America’s favorite dessert has actually been in the gourmet food world for ten years.

Ingredients:

1-1/3 cups whole milk—vitamin D

1/2 cup Truvia Baking Blend

Pinch salt

6 large egg yolks

1-1/2 cups heavy cream—lactic acid

1 sticky vanilla bean, scraped inside—contains natural pain relievers to soothe the system

1/3 cup fruity Chilean extra-virgin olive oil—fine and flavorful!

Caramel sauce, as topping

Preparation:

1
Warm the milk, Truvia Baking Blend, and salt in a medium-size saucepan.

2
In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Then scrape the warm milk mixture back into the saucepan.

3
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens to a custardlike consistency and coats the spatula. Turn off the heat when the custard just slightly thickens.

4
Pour the heavy cream and vanilla scrapings into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream.

5
Whisk the Chilean fruity olive oil into the custard mixture until it’s well blended; then stir until cool over an ice bath.

6
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can place the mixture in a large Ziploc bag, place rock salt in another bag, and set the mixture right on top of the rock salt. Freeze the mixture thoroughly in the freezer. Top with caramel sauce when ready to eat.

Olive Oil and Pistachio
Ice Cream

Makes 4 Servings

An oily, sticky true vanilla pod (not a dried-out one from a jar) contributes directly to the hydrating and healing of your skin when incorporated with other skin-nourishing ingredients. Used in this recipe, vanilla works well for your skin alongside the olive oil. This recipe is so simple.

Ingredients:

1 vanilla pod, extracted

5 scoops pistachio ice cream

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes

Preparation:

1
Extract the essence of the vanilla pod by cutting it open, or splitting it lengthwise, and scraping out the vanilla beans.

2
Place the ice cream in a frozen cold bowl with the extracted vanilla.

3
Drizzle with the olive oil and sea salt flakes. Mix and refreeze.

Dark Chocolate Walnut
Cookie Bites

Makes 36 Cookies

J
oy to the baker who churns out these babies. Soft, brownielike cookies are sooo satisfying. When it comes to mix-ins, I go for the toasted walnuts, but you can try dried cherries or apricots, pecans, golden raisins, goji berries, white chocolate, or Valrhona. You can dream big with these little cookies.

Ingredients:

8-ounce dark chocolate baking bar, broken into pieces

2 large eggs—contain high-quality protein and all 9 essential amino acids

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup protein powder (available in any nutrition store)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted, plus more as garnish

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preparation:

1
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease two baking sheets.

2
Microwave the broken baking bars in a medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on high for 1 minute; stir. If pieces retain some of their original shape, microwave at an additional 10- to 15-second interval, stirring just until melted.

3
Beat the eggs and salt in a small mixer bowl on high speed for 3 minutes or until thick. Add the brown sugar and protein powder; beat for an additional 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract. Stir in the chopped walnuts and flour.

4
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Top the cookies with walnuts.

5
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until shiny and set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Stuffed Lychees

Makes 5 Servings

T
his entire creation takes but 15 minutes to prepare. The macadamias and lychees make for an exotic flavor that’s rich, creamy, and crunchy—and something interesting to offer as a passed dessert at your unique soiree. For a dinner party, they look beautiful in any of your special-yet-oft-neglected fine glassware dessert bowls or cut-crystal candy dishes.

Ingredients:

2 (20-ounce) cans lychees, pits removed—low-cal superfruit

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese

1 tablespoon sherry wine

1 dash salt

3 tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts—cholesterol-free

2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger (shelf stable for up to 2 years)

Preparation:

1
Drain the lychees.

2
For stuffing: In a small bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese with the sherry and salt until the mixture is creamy. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

3
Stuff the lychees.

Easy Affogato

Makes 1 Serving

T
his decadent Italian dessert always strikes me as so impressive when I order it at a restaurant, but, in actuality, it is simple to create. The one I make for dinner parties uses frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, which goes over well with guests who may be “watching their line.”

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt

1/2 tablespoon Kahlua coffee liqueur

2 tablespoons hot espresso

Preparation:

Scoop frozen yogurt into a serving dish. Stir the liqueur into the espresso, then pour over the frozen yogurt. Serve immediately.

DIMPLED-SKIN CAFFEINE SCRUB

Caffeine is probably the most common ingredient you will find in lotions that fight dimpled skin. Caffeine is a stimulant and vasodilator, which means it opens up blood vessels and helps to reduce fat cells. Although it is a stimulant drug, and therefore one to be taken in moderation, caffeine can help with the breakdown of fat molecules stored in fat cells.

For the scrub:

In a bowl, mix 1/2 cup of warm coffee grounds with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Take to the bathroom (stand in the tub) and, using pressure, briskly loofah the mixture in circles on problem skin areas that need increased circulation. Next, wrap the area(s) in plastic wrap. Then, using a rolling pin or a bumpy brush, “roll out” the skin by massaging the targeted area briskly. Do this for at least 10 minutes, remove the plastic wrap, and wash off the scrub with warm water. Over time and with consistency, this treatment can be an effective way to smooth out the lumpy appearance of cottage cheese–like skin.

Dark Chocolate and
Pistachio Cookies

Makes 2 Dozen Cookies

P
istachios are the health nut’s nut. Why? They’re full of vitamin B6 and copper, which help increase energy. They are high in protein, fiber, and healthy monounsaturated fat, all of which contribute to the slowing of the body’s carbohydrate absorption. Eating up to 3 ounces of pistachios a day can help raise your level of good cholesterol (HDL). And they’re fun to crack open, too.

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup Truvia Baking Blend

1/2 cup packed brown sugar1

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

1 cup coarsely chopped pistachios

Preparation:

1
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F.

2
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

3
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, Truvia Baking Blend, and brown sugar together until pale, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and beat for about 1 minute. Add the vanilla extract and beat to incorporate.

4
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture all at once to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until just incorporated. Finally, mix in the chocolate chips and nuts.

5
Scoop the cookie dough by 2 tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.

6
Bake for 18 minutes, or until just golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Key Lime Pie with Avocado
and Coconut Filling

Makes 10 Servings

Hero Recipe!

A
n innovative recipe that is across-the-board good for you. Hard to believe it’s a dessert. Your friends and family will likely say the same!

Ingredients: Crust

6 pitted dates—calcium, fiber, amino acids, sulfur

1 cup macadamia nuts

1 cup walnuts

½ teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

Filling

3/4 cup lime juice—vitamin C