Fitness with Flavor

Sauteed Yellow Squash

Red Onion

Roasted Garlic

Fresh Tomato

Peppers

Manchego Cheese

Manchego (officially Queso Manchego) is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed, which is aged for between 60 days and two years.

Eggs, sunny side up

Jerk-Crusted Almonds

Makes 8 ounces

The beauty of this recipe is its versatility; using the nuts and egg whites as a base you can add any number of spices or seasonings to perk up plain nuts.

• 8 oz. unsalted almonds (whole or sliced)
• 1 oz. jerk seasoning
• 1 egg white, unbeaten
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 oz. honey or Splenda
• Pam nonstick cooking spray

1.   In a bowl, mix almonds with jerk seasoning, cinnamon and Honey/Splenda

2.   Slowly add egg white until nuts are evenly coated

3.   Spray cooking spray on a cookie sheet and then spread the nuts in an even layer

4.   Bake at 350 F, mixing every 10 minutes until nuts are toasted and dry, about 25-30 minutes

Roasted Asparagus and Mint Pesto. Yield about 2 cups.

The reason why I came up with this is sometimes you have leftover asparagus when you grill it and you’re afraid it’ll dry out the next day. You get a smokey nuance to it, so you get a smoky pesto.

½ bunch asparagus (grilled for best results, can substitute roasted or sauteed)

½ bunch mint

¼ bunch basil

10 garlic cloves, roasted

½ cup toasted Walnuts (or almonds)

Zest and juice of 2 limes

Teaspoon of honey

¼ cup pecorino cheese, grated

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups olive oil or grapeseed oil, ¼ cup reserved

Roughly chop asparagus and add to a food processor with mint, basil, garlic cloves, toasted walnuts, lime juice and zest, honey, cheese, sea salt and pepper. Set speed to high and slowly stream olive oil through shoot until combined.

Store in an air tight container in fridge. Will keep for no more than 2 weeks.

Roasted Zucchini Pistou

Makes about 2 1/2-3 1/2 cups sauce.

• 2 cups grilled or roasted zucchini, sliced into rounds
• 3 tablespoons roasted garlic
• 1 small red onion, roasted or grilled, or three shallots
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Zest and juice of 1 1/2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, Romano or Manchego cheese
• 10-12 medium basil leaves
• 6 mint leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock or water (optional, to change consistency)

Toss zucchini, garlic, onions or shallots, spices and red pepper flakes with 1 ounce olive oil. Roast at 450 F for 25-30 minutes.

Put ingredients in blender, and add lemon juice and zest, vinegar, cheese, basil, mint salt, pepper and puree until smooth.

Gradually add olive oil in steady stream. If sauce becomes too thick, add chicken stock or water to reduce it.