The best wrap ever, and my new favorite dessert!

 I've been eating some variation of this wrap at least two or three times a week this whole summer. I've recently discovered that I like avocados, so apparently I've been making up for lost time and eating them every day. There's something about this wrap that's so refreshing and it's ridiculously easy! You can toast it or eat it cold, and basically throw on whatever you feel like!

I start with a homemade whole wheat tortilla (check out the recipe on 100 Days of Real Food!) then spread a layer of hummus. Then I add on mozzarella, tomatoes, and avocado slices. Sometimes I drizzle it with balsamic vinegar for a bit of a kick, and boy is it yummy and filling! Just one of these babies fills me up for a good chunk of the day! I've also added leftover chicken, spinach, black beans, and just about anything else in the fridge depending on my mood- but this is definitely my favorite!

And speaking of favorites....

Holy Chocolate Avocado, Batman! I've discovered an awesome new dessert!

I've seen this recipe floating around Pinterest, but never remembered to try it. I also never believed that it would taste good, but boy was I wrong! You would never believe there was avocado in it! I served it to my dad and little sister without telling them what it was (they both hate avocados) and they loved it! It took less than 10 minutes with my food processor, and tasted better than any chocolate mousse I've ever eaten! It has a wonderful dark chocolate taste and will definitely satisfy those chocolate cravings. A little bot goes a long way- it's very rich!

PS- the white stuff on top was my attempt at making my own whipped cream which obviously failed because I was too lazy to get the mixer out, and my hand got tired after five minutes... It still tasted great though! Just wasn't fluffy... heheheh

Chocolate Avocado Mousse
 (Servings: 2)

Ingredients:
* 1 avocado, soft and ripe, peeled and pitted
*1/4 cup cocoa powder
*1 tsp vanilla (I used real vanilla which gave it a sort of liquor taste to some people, it was yummy!)
*6 Tbsp Milk
* 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup (once again I used the real stuff!)

Method:

Dump it all in a food processor! What could be easier?!

Note: I tried to use a blender at first and it did not work. The avocado was chunky, and you definitely want this to be pureed! I processed the avocado first and then added the ingredients in. I quadrupled the recipe and used four avocados which made about 6 half cup servings if I remember correctly. You really don't need a lot!

I also attempted my own whipped cream (see note above) by using 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp maple syrup, but was lazy. It still tasted awesome on top though!

You might be able to play around with the amount of maple syrup, to save on calories. I think that was the worst part for you! And I think it's better to get a little avocado in you that eat pudding or other mousse. This will definitely be replacing my chocolate pudding recipe! And a few spoonfuls is enough and will completely satisfy your chocolate cravings!

Try this one! It will surprise you!

Spanikopita Bites

Spanikopita Bites, Falafel, Baba Ghanoush, Pita Bread

I have been on a HUGE Greek food kick lately. I feel the need to eat something Mediterranean at least once a week. I've also become a lot braver in the kitchen which makes it much more fun to try new recipes. I first found this recipe on Pinterest, and decided to make it for my dad one night. The hardest part was definitely using the phyllo dough, but i don't think i let it thaw enough before trying to use it. Luckily, it didn't affect the taste at all!

The moral of that story is: Relax! breaking the phyllo dough won't kill the dish!

I served it with homemade Baba Ghanoush, pita bread, and falafel and I'll post the recipes later for those!

This refrigerated really well too! The day after, I reheated it in the microwave and it was still crisp! The next few days, the dough got soggy, but it was still yummy. I literally ate it all week!

Spanikopita (I'll get a better picture next time!)

Spanikopita Bites

Ingredients:

*1 small onion, chopped finely
*3 green onions, finely chopped ( I bought pre-cut green ones
and just threw in several handfuls)
*10oz. Frozen chopped spinach ( I bought a tub of fresh baby
spinach and sautéed it with garlic and then chopped it. )
*6 oz feta cheese
*1 cup cottage cheese
*1 egg
*Salt/pepper to taste ( I actually forgot this part and it still
tasted fine. I didn't think it needed any!)
*1 lb. phyllo dough, thawed
*1 stick of butter, melted
*3 tbsp. olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375

2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet over med. heat and cook onions for roughly 3-4 minutes. (This was when I cooked and chopped the spinach).

3. Mix spinach, feta cheese, cottage cheese, and egg in a mixing bowl. Add onions, and salt/pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

4. Combine melted butter and rest of oil.

5. Unroll dough and cut into small squares. Size depends on the muffin tray you use. Brush the muffin tray with butter. Then, place two small squares of dough into pan and press into a cup shape. Brush butter on bottom and sides, and place two more sheets of dough. Brush with butter. Put two more sheets of dough, and brush with butter one more time.

(This was the hardest part- I may consider buying the pre-made cups next time, but these ended up cooking perfectly!)

Then, scoop a spoonful of the spinach mixture into the dough cup and close the extra dough sticking out of the cup over the top. Brush with more butter.

(My dough kept cracking so I used the broken pieces and pieced it together. The butter ended up keeping it all together!)

6. Bake for 20 minutes.

I used a regular cupcake pan and this recipe made 12 spanikopita muffins. The crust ended up turning a light golden brown and the mixture was yummy! They came out easily and didn't fall apart. The most time consuming part was dealing with the phyllo dough!