Melon-Mint Fizz

It's warming up here in Texas, so I thought it would be appropriate to post something super cool and refreshing! I'm not a huge watermelon fan (I know I'm weird), but this drink was actually really good. You can use fresh mint or even basil for a fresh twist, and substitute the lemon-lime soda for ginger ale. Try this out at your next family gathering and it's sure to be a hit!

Ingredients
- Watermelon
- Lemon-Lime soda- chilled
- Fresh Mint

Directions
- Cut watermelon into 1.5" cubes and freeze overnight or for a couple hours.
- Wash mint leaves and chop roughly or tear leaves in half.
- Place 2-3 cubes of watermelon in a glass with about a TSP of the mint leaves and give a quick stir. Pour lemon-lime soda over melon and serve immediately.

Mocha Cappuccino Cookies

In case I haven't mentioned it enough, two on my favorite things in the world are coffee and chocolate. Now don't get me wrong, I love both of them individually but when when the two marry, it is like pure heaven (the ahhhhh heaven sounding in my head right now)!  That is why this is one of my all time favorite desserts.  I have made these cookies for everything from bridal showers to New Year's Eve parties and they have been a hit EVERY SINGLE TIME! I would love to take credit for this recipe but it is one that I found in a cookbook that is just too good not to share.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my friends and I do.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1/4 cup soy or almond milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 TBSP of your favorite ground coffee (don't use the instant stuff because it doesn't turn out as well)

1/2 - 3/4 cup chocolate chips (or more depending on how chocolatey you like your cookies)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a large bowl, mix together sugars, oil, almond (or soy) milk, & vanilla.

3.  Add flour, banking powder, baking soda, salt, & coffee.

4.  Stir in chocolate chips.  If the dough feels too wet, add more flour.  If it feels too dry or won't hold together, add a splash more almond milk.

5.  Using a teaspoon, drop cookie dough a few inches apart on a non stick baking sheet.  You can also use a parchment lined baking sheet.  

6.  Bake for 12 minutes, then cool for one minute before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely. 

 

P.S. Make sure they space the cookies out when baking as they tend to spread a lot and store extras (if you have any) in an air tight container.    

      

Avocado Milkshake

This is my favorite milkshake flavor! I know what a lot of you guys are thinking, avocado's should only be used for guacamole! Give it a chance and I promise you'll love it. The great thing about this shake is because the avocado is super rich and creamy, you don't need a lot of ice cream, you can use Greek vanilla yogurt instead or leave it out all together!

Ingredients
- One medium/large avocado- pitted and scooped
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2-2/3 cup crushed ice
- 1-1/2 TBSP sugar, honey or agave nectar
- 1 scoop vanilla ice-cream or 1/3 cup Greek vanilla yogurt

Directions
- Place all of the ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.
- Enjoy!

Rustic Tacos

Here we are, another Sunday and another week ahead of us and if your home is anything like mine, the question that always comes up on any given Sunday is, "what's for dinner?"And because most nights are usually busy for me, I try to make something low key, easy, filling, healthy, and quick so that we can eat at a reasonable hour and still get done all of the things I needed to do.  So when I think of quick and easy meals, I tend to lean towards Mexican food.  However, one of the drawbacks of Mexican can be the fact that a lot of things are deep fried.  For example, traditional taco shells are fried and therefore inevitably, you're taking extra unnecessary calories.  Today's recipe is the best of both worlds meaning it's not only quick & yummy but also healthy. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 corn tortillas
cooked black beans (or any bean you prefer)
cooked TVH protein (click here for details)*
diced tomatoes
sliced avocados
Mexican cheese*
chard & spinach mix
cilantro and lime for garnish
sauce or salsa of your choice

Directions:
1. Heat a stove top grill or pan over medium to high heat.
2. Once the grill has heated thoroughly, place corn tortillas on the grill and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Once that side is cooked, flip and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Remove tortillas from heat and cool for a couple of minutes.
5. Assemble each tortilla with beans, protein, spinach & chard mixture, tomatoes, & avocado.
6. Top with cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and your favorite sauce.

*Optional

Tortillas grilling