Sexy Forever: How to Fight Fat After Forty (36 page)

Healthy Fats, Insulin Triggers
Level 2

Serves 4

Some people only associate yams with the canned style often served at the holidays with marshmallows on top. You will also love them freshly baked like this! Plus, you’ll be getting vitamin C, potassium, manganese, fiber, and vitamin B
₆
. Yams are a wonderful heart-healthy vegetable with beta-carotene for healthy eyes and skin. Enjoy them on Level 2.

Wash the yams and pierce them in several places with a fork. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil and bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 80 minutes or until a fork easily pierces through the skin to the center. Remove from the oven and slice in half lengthwise. Mash the inside of the yam with a fork, adding the butter, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve warm.

SMASHED YUKON GOLD POTATOES

Healthy Fats, Insulin Triggers
Level 2

Serves 4

My son, Bruce, perfected this recipe. One night when he was home with the girls, they baked potatoes, then smashed them with a mallet and rebaked them, drizzled with olive oil and sea salt. What a “smash” hit! Everyone loved them. Both of my granddaughters are allergic to gluten, so potatoes come in handy at their house. For the rest of us, it’s an extraordinary treat for Level 2—and a reward for getting your cells cleaned out. Yukon gold potatoes have a wonderful buttery flavor, but if you can’t find them, any potato will do.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pierce the potatoes with a fork in several spots. When the oven is hot, place the washed, wet potatoes onto a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, until the skin is crusty. Carefully smash each potato with a mallet until each is about 1 inch thick. Drizzle olive oil over each potato, then season liberally with sea salt and pepper. Return them to the oven and cook for 25 minutes more. Serve immediately.

ASPARAGUS JALAPEÑO RISOTTO

Vegetables, Healthy Fats, Insulin Triggers
Level 2

Serves 4 to 6

We don’t eat much white rice in our house, but I do love a good risotto every now and then. Alan is gluten intolerant, so a delicious rice dish is a real treat for him. I am predominantly drawn to Italian food, particularly Tuscan food, but I branched out the other night and did a roasted chicken with SUZANNE Southwest Sea Salt Rub and came up with this risotto on the spot to go with it. It has a little bit of jalapeño, but if you only use one chile it’s not spicy at all—just flavorful. If you like more of a kick, increase the jalapeño or use a hotter chile, like a serrano. Obviously, this is a Level 2 meal because of the rice.

Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and red onion and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeño and continue to sauté for another 10 minutes, until the onion is browned and the jalapeño is tender. Add the rice and toss with the oil, onion, and jalapeño mixture until well coated and the rice just begins to turn golden.

Add 1 cup of broth and stir until it is absorbed by the rice. Add the next cup of broth and stir until absorbed. Add the third cup of broth and the chopped asparagus. The asparagus will cook as the broth is absorbed. Add the fourth cup of broth, making sure to test the rice for doneness. Risotto should be served al dente and “brothy,” so don’t let all the broth be absorbed. If the rice is still not cooked, add 1 more cup of broth.

CARAMELIZED CUMIN CARROTS

Healthy Fats, Insulin Triggers
Level 2

Serves 4

The rather exotic flavor of these caramelized carrots will surprise you. The cumin and cayenne are balanced by the sweetness of the agave for a delicious candied treat.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, cumin, cayenne, and agave.

Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and add a dash of olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the carrots and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until bright orange and just releasing their flavor. Add the agave mixture to the carrots and gently sauté to coat all the carrots. Season with sea salt and pepper. Sauté for an additional 10 minutes, until the carrots become brown and caramelized. Stir constantly, and watch the heat: if the agave starts to burn, lower the heat. Serve immediately.

CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS WITH LEMON SLICES AND CRISPY HERBS

Protein, Vegetables, Healthy Fats
Detox, Level 1, Level 2

Serves 6

Think of this as your go-to Tuesday night dinner
and
Wednesday’s lunch. I make a dozen just for me and Al, and we sit at our computers the next day and eat them cold for lunch. We are far more glamorous than you realize! The grandkids really love these drumsticks, too … they are simply good, and fun to eat. I like to smother them with freshly chopped garlic and herbs from my garden. You may use any combination of fresh herbs; I usually ask the grandkids to surprise me, but my favorite herb with chicken is fresh thyme. The roasted lemon slices are incredible! The rind gets very soft and candied and tastes great with each bite of chicken.