Think Valentine's Day and asparagus don't go hand in hand? Think again. Thanks to its phallic shape, it's known to stir up all sorts of sexy feelings in men and women alike. Hey, it's healthy too.

On the hunt for sexy (and nutritious) foods for this love-inspired Friday? Then check out this FitSugar slide show. You'll learn how to drive your man wild with basil, find fertility through figs and so much more.

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Our CSA Farm has begun to produce an abundance of tomatoes these past few weeks. Aside from eating them like apples, as my three-year-old often chooses to do, you can make fresh tomato salad, salsa, or fresh tomato sauce.

Our very informal uncooked recipe goes something like this:

• Chop a bunch of tomatoes and put them in a bowl.
• Add enough balsamic vinegar and olive oil to cover them.
• Stir fresh minced garlic and chopped fresh basil into the tomato mixture.
• Season with seas salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Let marinate at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.
  
  

This is such a refreshing summer meal when served on pasta with a green salad, or a tasty snack as a bruschetta topping.

Holy green beans, Batman! That is pretty much what my super-hero-obsessed three-year-old said when he saw how many green beans we picked this week at our CSA Farm.

In the interest of finding a healthy and exciting new recipe to try, I hit one of my favorite food sites, Epicurious, and found a recipe for Green Bean and Fennel Salad with Dill Pesto. A few quick alterations and we've got a dinner:

• I'm leaving out the orzo (since my son is allergic to wheat) and using brown rice instead.
• Double the amount of green beans? You bet!
• Since we have an abundance of fresh basil, I'll opt for the traditional basil pesto.
• I don't have white balsamic vinegar, so I'll use the regular type.
• To accompany this green bean salad, I'll grill some free range chicken breasts with pesto.

I'm looking forward to trying this recipe with my alterations. How would you change Epicurious' original recipe?

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At the farmer's market today, I was able to buy three huge bunches of basil for three dollars... total. Food prices may be going up, but at the farm market, in-season means easy on the pocket book. After digging through my pantry for a few other staples, I had all the necessary ingredients for pesto. Not only is pesto a favorite summer treat, it freezes well, which means healthy, local meals for winter. And because it's essentially a raw dish (you'll need to cook the pasta or bread that you put it on), it's perfect treat for when the kitchen is just too hot to cook.

Pesto's base ingredients are basil, olive oil, walnuts, and garlic, which means that it's loaded with antioxidants and heart-healthy omega-3s. (Pesto lovers learn early that a little goes a long way. Not only is pesto quite oily, it also has a very strong taste.) But creative cooks need not stop there -- pesto is very forgiving and does well with substitutions.

If you think pesto might have a place on your menu, now is the time to try it. Here are four great ways to enjoy pesto this summer:

Fresh basil pesto

Low-fat pesto

Non-basil pestos

Sun-dried tomato pesto

Basil is one royal herb. The leaf, Greek for "king," has become a must-have in kitchens across the globe because of its versatility and clean taste. If it hasn't yet made it to your kitchen, give it a try. Here's how.

• Add whole or snipped leaves to salad

• Lay leaves on a frozen or homemade pizza
  

• Chop and add to tomato or spaghetti sauce

• Snip and stir into scrambled eggs before cooking

• Finely chop and stir into a base of mayonnaise and sour cream and use as a sauce for fish

• Place a few leaves in a bowl of salt -- after a few days, the salt will take on the flavor of the basil and can be used for seasoning

• Add leaves to bath water for a refreshing soak

Keep in mind these great stats: Basil contains one calorie per five leaves and is almost entirely void of fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, and sugar. It's also chock full of protein, Vitamin E, Riboflavin and Niacin, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Copper, and Manganese.

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Spring is here and I, for one, am glad. I mentioned to my mother the other day that I had bought a box of individually flash-frozen asparagus spears and they were really good. I told her I'd pick a box up for her. Her reply was "They sound great... but I'll buy fresh for now." And she's right! Asparagus is just one of the delicious, healthy foods that abound in spring. Depending on where you live, other delicious seasonal treats include Swiss chard, peas, strawberries, rhubarb, avocado, watermelon, apricots, spinach, Romaine lettuce, and basil.

Buying food in season not only ensures you're getting the freshest produce available, it's also good for the environment. Buying local food supports the farmers in your own community and reduces the distance food has to travel from the farm to your plate. Visit a farmer's market this spring and see what produce is in season!

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The ancient Ayurvedic herb Holy basil is finding new friends here in the States. Its cortisol-reducing properties and stress-relieving effects are quite the hit with our ever-growing tense and obese population, and some even say it has other healing properties like helping manage diabetes and blood sugar levels.

So it seems Holy basil, or Ocimum sanctum, may be worth looking into. One suggestion, however, is that despite the name "basil" it's not something you probably want to sprinkle on your spaghetti or into any other cooking (it has a sharp clove-like flavor).

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