Black Bean, Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Sweet Potato with Balsamic Glaze

INGREDIENTS

Baked Sweet Potato
Black Beans
Tahini Sauce
Spinach
Red Onion
Goat Cheese
Balsamic Glaze
Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Roasted Sweet Potato: Scrub clean and dry. Wrap in foil and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour.
2. In a sauté pan, add some olive oil then chopped red onion. Caramelize the onion for about 10 minutes. Add spinach and black beans slowly afterwards and let the flavors merry. 
3. Once the sweet potato is cooked, cut it in half. Spread some tahini sauce on the inside of the sweet potato, add your warm onion, spinach and black bean mix. Top with some goat cheese.
4. Broil in the oven for about 5 minutes until the goat cheese slightly browns.
5. Finish with a balsamic glaze.

California Pesto Omelette

INGREDIENTS

• Whisked Eggs
• Spinach (fresh)
• Tomato (diced)
• Sun Dried Tomato (chopped)
• Black Olive (diced)
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Pesto
• Coconut Oil (spray)
• Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, thyme, pepper)

DIRECTIONS

1. Saute spinach, sun dried tomato, fresh tomato and black olives in a pan coated with coconut oil for about 3 minutes.
2. Take sauteed vegetables out of the pan and set aside.
3. In that same pan add your whisked eggs and let them cook before flipping them like a pancake. Make sure you have enough coating so they do not stick to the pan.
4. Once flipped, smear a heaping amount of pesto on the inside of the eggs (while its cooking)
5. Add your filling (sauteed vegetables) on top of the pesto and eggs.
6. Add mozzarella cheese on top of the filling.
7. Add your Italian seasoning.
8. After about 1 minute, fold the omelette over and put a top on the pan (this will allow your omelette to melt into itself).
9. Serve warm after about 2 minutes of cooking and melting :) 

NOTES

• Feel free to omit any ingredients you do not like.
• Possibility to substitute kale for spinach.
• This is a great brunch recipe to make since these ingredients are always found in most pantries or fridges at any time!

Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad Perfect for Fall

INGREDIENTS

1 Sweet Potato
Cooked Quinoa
Black Beans
Pomegranate Seeds
Kale
Spinach
Cubed Mozzarella Cheese
Diced Red Onion
Apple Cider Vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. Roasted Sweet Potatoes: Peel potato, cut into cubes and toss with some olive oil, bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes flipping half way.
2. Add all ingredients into a bowl and toss with apple cider vinegar and your favorite seasoning!

Warm Lentil and Marinara Spinach Salad

INGREDIENTS

Cooked lentils
Marinara sauce
Fresh spinach
Sun-dried tomatoes
Fresh tomatoes
Balsamic vinegar
Italian seasoning (oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper)
Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat up about 1 cup of lentils and 1/2 cup of marinara sauce in the microwave
2. Lay a bed of fresh spinach, fresh cut tomatoes, and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl
3. Layer your hot lentil/marinara mix on top of the fresh vegetables
4. I personally like to mix it all together to wilt the spinach from the heat of the lentils
5. Top with Italian spices, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese

HOW TO COOK LENTILS (PERFECTLY)

When I want to cook a big batch of lentils I plan ahead of time...

1. I soak the dry lentils for about 24 hours in a big bowl of water (this reduces the actual cooking time and cleans the lentils). Remember, add about 2x water you have dry lentils as the lentils expand!
2. Add your soaked lentils into a cooking pot with new/fresh water.
3. Bring the water and lentils to rapid simmer.
4. Once they are boiling, lower the heat to low.
5. Keep an eye on the lentils but they will typically cook anywhere from 25-45 minutes depending on the quantity of beans.
6. I do not add any salt, this is because your marinara sauce will have an abundant amount of sodium already. But if you absolutely MUST add salt, season the lentils after they are done cooking as they will absorb the most seasoning then.

Lemon Garlic Sauteed Spinach Side Dish

INGREDIENTS

Handfuls of spinach
Coconut Oil (spray or oil)
Minced/fresh garlic
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a non-stick skillet add your coconut oil spray and head on med/high heat
2. When pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and stir occasionally for 3-4 minutes
3. Add handfuls (as spinach cooks down A LOT) of fresh, washed spinach
4. Saute for an additional 3 minutes until spinach is cooked down
5. Add pepper and lemon to taste

NOTES

This is a perfect fiber-filled and iron-filled vegetable side dish to any protein. Pair this with your favorite fish, or even a sunny side up egg.

Per serving (1 cup) of this recipe:
Calories: 80
Fat: 4.5 g
Fiber 1.3 g
Protein 2.7 g