My pal Gigi probably has about 1,000 grams of fat every day. Okay; I’m exaggerating. It’s not that much, but it’s a lot. And despite loading on the oils and cream, she’s STILL slim and fit, has fan-tab-u-lous hair, with skin so glow-y and smooth you can’t help but wish you could squeeze both her cheeks like your obnoxious Aunt Nelly did when you were six.

The glowingly beautiful Gigi

So when I asked her to spill it about how she stays so gorgeous, she told me, “You know I’m all about the healthy fats, right?” [healthy fats: olive oil, coconut oil, nut oils, fish oil, cream, even in Gigi’s case, butter]. She combines these healthy fats with lots of green veggies, and with her chef’s background, I sometimes wish she would move across the street I can be like those annoying friends in the sit-coms who just come into a character’s house, opens the refrigerator and grabs a beer and sits down for dinner every day at 6. I’ve dropped hints SEVERAL TIMES *cough GIGI!! cough* but no word yet if her family will move to Temecula. So I guess I have to settle for the next best thing until she comes to her senses and becomes my neighbor. So I’ve asked her to share a few of her oil-rich, veggie dense, and carb low dishes.

BTW, more and more research proves that it’s not fat that’s making you fat. It’s sugar and simple carbs like…well just about everything you eat that’s white.

So here’s the first, and I’m hoping that soon they’ll be many. More and more research indicates the outward beauty and overall wellness can be achieved almost completely on what you put in your mouth.

Gigi’s Special Green Stuff: (homemade tabbouli)

1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch scallion
1 bunch parsley
Juice of one lemon
2 tomatoes
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 very small Hass Avocado
1/3 cup raw, unsalted almonds
sea salt to taste

Rinse all the herbs and use a salad spinner to get them as dry as possible. Pulse the herbs in a food processor making sure not to crowd the container. Put all the pulsed herbs in a big salad bowl. Pulse the tomatoes and add those to the bowl. Pulse the almonds and sprinkle on the herbs and tomatoes. Add the lemon juice, salt and olive oil and gently mix. Taste for salt and lemon adding more if needed.

Serve with seafood, meat or chicken and large lettuce leaves. I love to stuff my lettuce leaves with the tabbouli, some protein and corn or black beans. My daughter loves to have her tabouli in lettuce leaves and cheddar cheese and my hubby loves to spoon this over a larger salad contained red peppers and other veggies, meat and salad dressing. The herbs are extremely mineralizing and energizing. Make a big batch and keep in the fridge to eat with everything. It also goes great with hummus and grilled chicken or serve with pita bread wedges as a light party appetizer.