Cooking Your Way to Gorgeous (29 page)

1/2 cup honey

1 cup mashed avocado—low-cal superfruit

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup coconut oil

Whipped Cream

2 cups whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon Truvia Baking Blend

Garnish

Lime slices

Raspberries—low-cal superfruit

Mint leaves

Coconut shreds

Preparation: Crust

1
Process the dates in a food processor until they become a paste. Then add the nuts and remaining ingredients and process until crumbly.

2
Place the mixture in a 12-inch springform pan and work it up the sides to create a thick crust.

Filling

Blend the filling ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into the piecrust you made in Step 2. Freeze for 1 hour.

Whipped Cream

While the pie freezes, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Remove the pie, spread the whipped cream on top, and then put the pie back in the freezer for at least 2 hours more.

Assemble and Garnish

When you are ready to serve, remove the pie from the freezer and let it sit for 1 hour to soften before serving. Garnish with lime slices, raspberries, mint leaves, and shredded coconut.

Lemon Cream Pie

Makes 8 Servings

W
hen life gives you lemons, you make . . . cream pie! Lemons are a citrus wonder that aid the body in flushing out toxins as well as jump-starting the digestive tract with enzymatic processes. Lemons also aid the liver in its cleansing processes. Lemons contain citric acid, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, bioflavonoids, pectin, and limonene that promote immunity and fight infection. To jump-start any day, start out your morning with a warm glass of lemon water; it’s a good cleansing detox drink for your body, and a great ritual for morning time. In this recipe you get some lemon love and a gelatin fix, too.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup water

1 (4-ounce) package of sugar-free lemon gelatin—low-cal

2 (6-ounce) Yoplait Light fat-free lemon yogurts, or the brand you prefer

8 ounces of heavy cream

1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust

Preparation:

1
Boil the water and pour into a large mixing bowl.

2
Pour in the gelatin and whisk until dissolved.

3
Add the yogurt and whisk together with the gelatin, mix thoroughly.

4
Beat in the heavy cream and transfer the mix to the graham cracker crust.

5
Refrigerate for 4 hours.

SIMPLE LEMON FACIAL FOR EXFOLIATION

After washing your face with warm water, pat it dry with a fresh towel. Next, squeeze the juice from a lemon into a bowl. (It doesn’t matter if the seeds fall in.) Soak a cotton ball or cotton square in the lemon juice. Hold the moistened cotton ball between your fingers while drizzling some sugar over its surface. After the sugar soaks in for a minute and “crystallizes,” use the cotton ball to gently exfoliate the entire face, using a circular motion. This exfoliating scrub contains alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids, which remove upper dead skin layers on your face, leaving skin feeling smooth.

Caramelized Apples

Makes 6 Servings

T
he classic treat of every childhood beach boardwalk and circus experience gets a makeover. These apples are served in a bowl rather than eaten off a stick. I’ve left out the sticky hard caramel coating that’s tough on teeth; these are cooked to the point that their natural fruit juices caramelize. You also get more of a “pie-flavor” effect because this recipe calls for three different types of apples that all bring something unique to the plate. Lemon is clarifying and cinnamon brings blood and nutrients to the skin surface to assist with eye-area puffiness and a host of other beauty challenges.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter

5 spicy-sweet, crisp apples (Jonagold, Crispin, Honeycrisp), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 tablespoon plus 2 tablespoons Truvia Baking Blend, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon—antibacterial

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

1/3 cup apple cider—a health tonic good for dry skin

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, optional

Preparation:

1
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples to the pan and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Truvia Baking Blend. Sauté the apples, stirring frequently, for 6 to 8 minutes, until they just start to turn tender.

2
Sprinkle the apples with the remaining Truvia Baking Blend, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Toss the mixture gently and cook over medium heat for an additional 2 minutes, until the sugar begins to caramelize and the apples are crisp yet tender.

3
Transfer the apples from the skillet to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon. Turn the heat to high and add the apple cider to the skillet, scraping up any browned apple bits. Reduce the heat slightly and allow the cider and the pan juices to simmer for 1 to 3 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. If you desire a thicker sauce, dissolve the cornstarch in a teaspoon of water, stir it into the sauce, and allow it to thicken for a moment. Pour the finished sauce over the warm apples and serve immediately.

Vanilla-Pumpkin Pudding

Makes 2 Servings

I
f you like the flavor of vanilla extract, and I do so much that I even put a few drops in my drip coffee, this vanilla-pumpkin pudding makes for a yummy breakfast or snack that tastes just like pumpkin pie filling. It’s an easy treat to make that will satisfy, give you energy, and power you through your morning. The key ingredient is canned pumpkin, which is low in calories, high in fiber, and bursting with beta-carotene. Some people only eat pumpkin during wintertime holidays; I like it year-round and recommend you add canned pumpkin to your kitchen pantry.

Ingredients:

6 ounces nonfat yogurt, vanilla flavor

1/3 cup canned 100 percent pure pumpkin purée (no added sugar)

1 dash ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon chopped, toasted nuts (almonds, walnuts, or pecans, optional)—protein

Preparation:

In a small bowl, blend together the yogurt, pumpkin, and cinnamon until creamy. Top with nuts, if desired.

Mini Choco Chew-Chew Cakes

Makes 24 Minicakes

F
ight fat while you snack? In this recipe, creamy thick Greek yogurt offers a combination of protein, fat, and healthy carbs that help burn belly fat—twice as much protein as other yogurts do, so you’ll feel more satisfied.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons Truvia Baking Blend

1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting—
antioxidants

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 egg white

1/2 cup skim milk, divided

Preparation:

1
Beat the cream cheese and Truvia Baking Blend in a bowl with an electric mixer on high until smooth. Add the yogurt and vanilla; beat until well combined.

2
Coat three baking sheets with vegetable oil cooking spray. Heat the oven to 400°F. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda in a second bowl.

3
Beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer on high in a third bowl until combined; add the egg white and beat until the mixture is thick and pale yellow.

4
Add half the flour mixture to the sugar mixture; beat until just combined. Add ¼ cup of milk; beat on low speed until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and remaining 1/4 cup of milk.

5
Transfer the batter into a large resealable bag; squeeze the batter into a corner of the bag and clip the small corner to make a piping bag. Squeeze sixteen lines of batter, 4 inches long and 1 inch apart, onto each baking sheet. Bake until the centers spring back to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

6
Spread half the cakes with cream cheese filling; top with a second cake to make sandwiches and dust with cocoa powder, if desired. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

“MOCHA” HYDRATING BODY SCRUB

Superhydration and moisture retention are essential for smooth, supple skin that is soft to the touch. Cocoa powder and coffee grounds improve circulation, especially when rubbed over legs and thighs as an exfoliant. If only all those mocha lattes I drink had the same effect! You can use the coffee grounds from your morning brew, but I think fresh unsoaked grounds are even more effective as they retain the caffeine, which in this treatment is needed for circulation. Almond oil is high in vitamin E, which helps your skin retain its moisture, and it is a powerful antioxidant. Shea butter is extremely hydrating, has anti-inflammatory properties, and you can buy it inexpensively at your local 99-cent store. For this home-spa treatment, you’ll need:

3 tablespoons almond oil

1 teaspoon coffee grounds

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon shea butter

Using a small bowl, mix all the ingredients together. While in the shower, and pores are clean and open, apply the scrub to targeted areas and rub in a circular motion. Try to stay out of the shower stream while rubbing in this hydrating, natural body scrub. Rinse thoroughly and you will have smooth, supple skin. Maybe you can even say, “Spanx, no thanks. I’m good as I am, and getting better, baby!”

Now that you have learned some delicious recipes for desserts, snacks, and other little lovelies, I hope you will experiment with them and pass them along to your friends, too. Remember: knowledge is power, and, if you have knowledge, you should always allow others to light their candles in it.

In addition to eating the foods you love and trying out different hair- and skin-care treatments using that food’s ingredients, I hope that by now you are starting to get a feel for what foods and supplements benefit your skin internally and externally. If you can commit some of this information to memory it will empower your next jaunt to the supermarket, restaurant, or health food store. Share what you are learning with your loved ones; it’s a great way to reinforce the facts in your brain and hear yourself sticking to the plan of tweaking meals, snacks, and desserts with beauty boosters and hero ingredients. You will find yourself at home with smart foods that power your body, skin, and mind! I firmly believe that we are what we eat. What’s inside is projected outward, so keep up the good work and keep going for the gorgeous.

Chapter 7

Cocktails and Mocktails

Now that we’ve graduated from desserts
for your every taste bud’s desire, we can hit the hard stuff! That
other indulgence
so many of us take pleasure in from time to time, or more frequently than that—happy hour, the cold frosty one, libation station—however we choose to call it, alcohol is a part of life and it can be a pleasure to unwind and socialize with, bar none. In fact, I long for those festive nights when I can appreciate and savor a fine bottle of wine with a friend, or a spicy jalapeño margarita. The antioxidants and other nutrients infused into my specialized drinks have undeniable health benefits, and getting them via libation is better than not getting them at all. If you are going to partake in a cocktail or glass of wine, why not add skin-friendly ingredients into the mix? My theory is, if you’re going to drink spirits you might as well get a beauty boost while you’re at it so you can confidently say, “Bottoms Up.” One drink is usually considered to measure as a medium glass of wine, a 1.5 ounce shot of spirits, or a can or bottle of beer. All of those have roughly similar amounts of pure alcohol in them. For most folks, one to two drinks will suffice for a good time, so please drink in moderation and never beyond your comfort level. These drinks can offer skin-health benefits with a newfangled twist. You can make your own signature cocktails, too, the ones you tout at your swanky soirees. But remember, no amount of alcohol is going to hydrate your skin—and glowing skin requires hydration—so be sure to drink a minimum of 12 ounces of water after your cocktails and get a good night’s sleep, too, if you can!