Stuffed Avocados

I don't have much to say about this other than...it must be one of the best recipes ever! It is very easy and fast, which is a bonus. How come I never thought of this idea before? Ready? Stuffed avacados. They are to die for. (originally from http://blogs.babycenter.com/life_and_home/122112-the-end-of-the-world-stuffed-avocados/ but I tweaked it and you can can pretty much fill them up with your favorite fillings that would go well in them.)

Stuffed Avocados

3 Avocados from Mexico halved
1 large can of sweet corn kernels
6 strips of bacon
1 red and green pepper cut into small strips (I used a tomato instead of the red pepper)
1small bunch of green onions, chopped
2 large lemons
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp chili powder

 Preheat oven to 450
1. In a frying pan over medium heat, add the bacon until golden. Remove the strips and place on kitchen paper to absorb the remaining fat. Then cut it into pieces.
2. In the same pan, and using the bacon fat, add the peppers, (tomato if used), onions, corn, and spices. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until slightly tender.
3. To prevent darkening avocados, sprinkle with lemon juice. Add the mix inside each avocado where the seed was removed and bake for only 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Basil Pesto Pasta Salad with Spinach

I made this recipe recently and was very impressed with it. Although it may be another salad, I recommend trying it. I packed this up for my lunch today and it was sooo good! I didn't include the chicken because I didn't want to take the time to cook it, and it was still perfect.
*Also, I cut the recipe down to about half, which served 2 medium-sized salads

Pesto Pasta Salad with Spinach

 

1 pkg bow tie pasta whole wheat or plus 

1 TB olive oil

1 cup basil pesto jarred or homemade (see below)

1/4 cup Italian dressing

1 cup chicken grilled, can, rotisserie 

2 cups spinach 

1 pint cherry tomatoes 

1/2 cup feta cheese

1. Cook the bowtie pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water. Drain the pasta and run it under water. Drizzle with olive oil and stir around.
2. Put the pasta in a large serving bowl and stir in the pesto and Italian dressing. Add the spinach, chicken, tomatoes and feta cheese. Toss to combine. Salt and Pepper to taste.
3. Cover the pasta and refrigerate. If the pasta seems dry before serving, you can stir in another tablespoon of olive oil.

*I have never bought basil pesto before, and I looked at several recipes online to get a feel for a good basil pesto. I tossed ingredients together, but here is an estimate of the measurements (you can double if you are using normal portion amounts, since I cut it down to 1/2.)

1/3 C very finely chopped walnuts

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese 

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

*combine ingredients together for the pesto

Roasted carrot sticks

Guys!! Guess what??  I got a new camera so this blog is up and running again!! In case you didn't know, I lost my other and searched everywhere, so I ended up getting a Canon Elph110 HS Powershot for Christmas. These pictures are beautiful, and I am already impressed with the quality!!

This first recipe is simple and very nutritious and tasty as a side dish. As I may have mentioned before, I love roasting veggies. Here is my version of roasted carrots:

Roasted carrots

Long carrots (preferably not baby carrots. I haven't tried using them, but I don't think they would taste the same.)
Olive oil
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Slice raw carrots into sticks. Place on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Drizzle with about 1 Tbsp olive oil and lightly sprinkle with paprika, pinch of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes. They taste great plain, but I've also heard they are tasty with ranch.