Healthy Avocado Pesto Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Water as needed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 box spaghetti
• 1 small box of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 teaspoons parsley

Instructions:

1. Prepare spaghetti as per box instructions.
2. Meanwhile, combine avocado, basil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor or blender. With machine running, slowly stream in the lemon juice, olive oil, and water as needed to achieve a smooth pesto. Puree until completely blended and creamy.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a large bowl, mix spaghetti and pesto. Serve with cherry tomatoes and parsley. 

Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad

Yield: 6 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 medium/large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained and rinsed
• 2 medium/large avocados, skinned and pitted, chopped into small pieces
• 1 red pepper. diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 white onions, chopped
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers (depending on desired spiciness), seeded and sliced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons Mexican chili powder
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 lime, sliced into quarters for garnishing
• 1 tablespoon dried cilantro

Instructions:

1. Add olive oil to a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add sweet potato chunks to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for approximately 8-10 minutes and then flip the sweet potato chunks. Cook the other sided for another 8-10 minutes. During the last 3-4 minutes, add the black beans and corn to skillet. Then remove from heat and let the corn, black beans and sweet potato chunks cool to room temperature. Add all three to a large bowl.
2. Add red pepper, green pepper, onions, jalapeno pepper slices, avocado, Mexican chili powder and cilantro to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
3. Squeeze the lime juice over the salad and stir until combined. Add lime quarters to top of salad as a garnish. Sprinkle more dried cilantro on top of the salad if desired.
4. Serve immediately or store salad in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Enjoy!

Southwestern Baked Sweet Potatoes

Yields: 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 15 mins

Ingredients:

• 4 medium/large sweet potatoes,washed and dried
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 1 can corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced and seeded
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons dried cilantro
• Sliced lime quarters for garnishing

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees F.
2. Using a sharp knife, pierce each sweet potato several times. 
3. Place prepared sweet potatoes on baking dish and bake for one hour.
4. Approximately 15 minutes before the potatoes are done baking, begin preparing the filling. Add olive oil to a large skillet. Then add the diced jalapeno peppers, red peppers, green peppers, diced onion and minced garlic to the skillet. Saute on medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
5. Continue sauteing until onions and peppers are tender and garlic is flagrant. Then turn heat to low. 
6. Add black beans, garbanzo beans and corn to the skillet. Sprinkle cayenne pepper, cumin,paprika, salt and pepper on top. Mix to combine. Continue cooking on low for another 5 minutes while you prepare the potatoes.
7. Once potatoes are finished, remove them from the oven. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes. 
8. Trim the top off of each potato to create a boatlike shape.
9. Using a spoon, scoop out most of the potato into a bowl. Be sure to leave enough potato in the skins so the shells do not rip apart.
10. Mash the potato filling using the back of  a spoon and then add it into your skillet, along with the lime juice.
11. Stir once more to thoroughly combine all ingredients.
12. Using a spoon,refill the shells with the potato mixture. Mash it down slightly using the back of the spoon 
13. Top potatoes with dried cilantro. Garnish with lime quarters. 
14. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Chickpea-Spinach Wrap

This delicious wrap is super easy-to-make and takes under 15 minutes. It's the perfect quickie after-work snack or healthy lunch on a busy day.Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh spinach, shredded
• 1 can chickpeas
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 spinach tortilla wraps
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Add olive oil and garlic to a large pan. Cook on medium-high heat for about two minutes or until flagrant. 
2. Add chickpeas and spinach to pan.
3. Sprinkle cumin and curry powder onto chickpeas and spinach.
4. Stir constantly until the spinach is fully wilted and the chickpeas are cooked thoroughly.  This should only take about 5 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper to mixture and then remove from heat.
6. In a separate medium-sized pan, place one spinach wrap. Cook for about 15 seconds on medium-high heat and then flip and cook other side for another 15 seconds. Then remove from heat and set aside. Repeat for each wrap.
7. Add spinach-chickpea mixture onto each wrap and then roll it up tightly. Serve immediately and enjoy!