No Cheese Avocado Quesadilla

Are you looking for a healthier version of your favorite mexican dish of quesadillas? Or maybe you're lactose intolerant and can't eat the cheesy quesadillas that so many others love? Well, I have found the perfect solution. These No Cheese Avocado Quesadillas are my new favorite go to for lunch and dinner when I'm craving mexican. I like to pair it with some mexican yellow rice, cauliflower rice, or even a super tasty spinach salad. This recipe is Vegan and gluten-free (with gluten free tortillas). Plus you can add all kinds of different extras with the avocado to make it even tastier. 

No Cheese Avocado Quesadilla

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1/2 Avocado (more if you prefer)
• 1 large tortilla or 2 small tortillas
• 1 small roma tomato, diced
• Seasonings of choice: Paprika, Cumin, Garlic Powder, etc.
• Optional Toppings: Spinach, Black Beans, Chicken, Green Chiles, etc.

Instructions

1. Smash avocado and spread out on one half of the tortilla. Sprinkle with any seasonings. {I like a pinch of garlic powder and cumin in mine.} 
2. Add diced tomato and any other desired toppings.
3. Fold over the top half of the tortilla and place on a non-stick skillet over medium heat. 
4. Heat for 1-2 minutes per side until warmed through.
5. Enjoy! I like to dip mine in Salsa.

Garlic Parmesan Zucchini and Tomato Bake

Source

This year for Christmas I'm determined to go the "healthier" route for whatever I bring to the parties. Normally I would just make some cookies or drinks or casseroles. This year I'm doing my part in making the meal not just full of heavy foods that make you feel crappy afterwards. For my Christmas Celebration #1 with my family I am making a Garlic Parmesan Zucchini and Tomato Bake. I thought this would be a good addition because it's super easy to make and doesn't require a lot of ingredients. I know I personally don't have time to make super complicated dishes that take awhile to make while I'm wrapping presents, working out, getting ready, and visiting multiple families. 

All you need for this recipe is some fresh vegetables, garlic, parmesan, and a few spices most everyone has in their kitchen. The only thing I actually had to buy for this recipe was the zucchinis, squash, and tomatoes. Everything else I already had in my kitchen. After I gathered all my ingredients I got to work chopping everything. I used my favorite Joseph Knives. Today I needed the purple serrated knife for the tomatoes, and the green knife for chopping the zucchini and squash. 

Once everything was chopped I placed it all in a bowl and mixed in all the dry ingredients. I love all the beautiful colors in this recipe. Lately I've been obsessed with Eating in Color. This book truly motivates me to eat healthy and it's a great way to find recipes where I can get my servings of vegetables in. 

The original recipe I followed called for 1/3 cup of parsley or basil. I had basil on hand so I used that. All I have to say is HOLY BASIL BATMAN! The dish tasted like straight up basil with a few vegetables thrown in. I will be remaking this recipe in the near future for a side dish for dinner and I will be using only 1-2 tablespoons of basil. I'm 99% sure it would taste best with 1 tablespoon of basil and a little olive oil. Or even try making it stove top with a little olive oil to saute the vegetables. Try it out and let me know what you think!!

Garlic Parmesan Zucchini and Tomato Bake

Serves: 5

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25-35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large or 2.5 lbs Zucchini, cut into quarters
• 10 oz grape tomatoes, cut in halves or 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 7 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 cup Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese
• 1 tsp basil/thyme/oregano, dried
• 1/2 tsp ground black peper
• 1 tbsp parley/basil, finely chopped
• Cooking Spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8X8 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients, except parsley/basil, and stir to combine.
3. Transfer to a prepared baking dish and bake uncovered for 25 minutes, then check for doneness. Add 10 minutes if you like well cooked vegetables. Remove from the oven, garnish with basil or parsley and serve hot/warm. 

Balsamic Tofu & Pineapple Avocado Tacos

I absolutely love finding new Vegetarian recipes that are actually healthy. I have to say this recipe for Balsamic Tofu & Pineapple Avocado Tacos by Rabbit Food for My Bunny Teeth is one of those recipes. I've been craving this recipe ever since I saw it on Pinterest. The mix of tangy balsamic, sweet pineapple, and creamy avocado just sounds perfectly mouthwatering. Even typing this up right now I'm getting hungry thinking about it. Therefore my husband and I decided we had to make it for dinner this past weekend.

We started by gathering all of our ingredients together. This recipe really doesn't have that many ingredients to it so it makes it SUPER easy to make. I love the recipes that have less than 10 ingredients. I hate when I find a super tasty looking meal then check the recipe and theres like 20 plus ingredients. No thanks!!

If you haven't worked with tofu before there are certain steps you must take to prep the tofu for your meal. If you skip this step your tofu will end up being super watery which doesn't make it taste as great and cook as well. You can do this step either before or after cutting up the tofu. I drain my tofu, chop it, then lay it on a plate on top of a paper towel. I then place another paper towel on top, with a plate on top of that. I used my bowl of bananas to press the water out, but you can use anything that's about 1-2 pounds. It's good to let it stand for 20-30 minutes. 

Next I measured out my ingredients and mixed the sauce to create the glaze for the tofu. At first glance it might seem like these would be a weird mixture on tofu, but it's perfection!! Once the glaze was ready I transferred the tofu to the balsamic mixture and let it marinade for 20 minutes. 

I then laid the tofu out evenly on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. I set it to bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. After the first 20 minutes I flipped the tofu, drizzled with remaining balsamic glaze, and put it back in to bake for another 10 minutes. While this was baking I prepped the pineapple and avocado. I used my OXO 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer. Since I eat a lot of avocados this thing is basically my best friend!! If you eat avocados as much as me I definitely recommend buying one. It slices the avocado in half, de-pits it, and cubes the avocado all with only 1 tool. I seriously love it!

Once everything was ready I laid out my ingredients and was ready to chow down. Seriously guys this recipe is amazing. It's so refreshing and great for a healthy dinner or lunch option for vegetarians and meat eaters alike. This is definitely a beautiful recipe as well. 

Balsamic Tofu & Pineapple Tacos
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 package extra firm tofu (14oz)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp honey mustard
• 1/2 Tbsp agave
• 8 corn tortillas
• 2 cups pineapple, cubed
• 1 avocado cubed

Instructions

1. Drain tofu and place on a few sheets of paper town on a plate. Cover with another few pieces of paper towel and another plate, and weight the top with an object of about 1-2 pounds. Let the tofu stand 20 to 30 minutes to extract excess liquid. 
2. While the tofu is being pressed, mix together the balsamic, honey mustard, and agave. 
3. After excess liquid has been extracted from the tofu, chop into small 1/2 inch cubes. 
4. Transfer tofu cubes into the bowl of balsamic mixture and let it marinade for 20 minutes. 
5. After tofu has marinated, transfer to a baking pan lined with parchment paper (save excess balsamic for later). 
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. 
7. Using a spatula, flip tofu, drizzle with remaining balsamic mixture, and cook for another 10 minutes. 
8. Toss the tofu with pineapple and avocado, and place in corn tortillas. Enjoy!