Raw Recipe: Apple Avocado Collard Wraps

Good day my joyous readers!

About a month ago I had my bachelorette party "on the farm" at my parents home in Chatsworth, Ontario where the neighbours are sheep and the land is magical. We had badminton matches, practiced our "twerking" thanks to my dear friend Candice aka our dance instructor and ate so much healthy yummy food. Lucky for me, all my girlfriends are healthy foodies and brought really yummy eats!!

My sweet man's cousin Astrid is a awesome cook and she made this recipe I'm sharing with you today. I munched on them all bachelorette weekend long. They stayed fresh for a couple days refrigerated. I made them last night first the first time for Walker and I as an appetizer before our main which was fish and an arugula salad.

Before I get to the recipe, let me share some of the health benefits of this amazing raw recipe with you!

I started with these 4 ingredients.

Both olive oil and walnuts contain a decent dose of good fats called monounsaturated fatty acids -- these fats are fantastic for your skin's glow and keeping inflammation in check (in other words, keeping acne & eczema away plus they are heart health friendly).

Garlic as you've likely heard is anti-bacterial and anti-viral which means it has a very positive effect on your immune system. Don't worry about the stink, parsley will help to neutralize that so you can smooch with your honey afterwards.

Parsley, often under-appreciated and downgraded to a garnish deserves center stage for it's health benefits! It contains vitamins A, C, K (healthy scalp nutrients = shiny hair), iron and calcium. It is a rich source of antioxidant nutrients such as flavanoids for heart health and a baby-making B vitamin called folic acid.

These wraps could be enjoyed as a snack, an appetizer or easily made into a main meal completely free of any animal products -- which is fab for vegetarians or vegans alike (or those trying to eat more plant foods). I'm thrilled to be sharing this recipe with you today because I just know you are gonna love it.

Oh and of course it's easy! You can whip these up in less than 10 minutes!

Ingredients for Walnut Pesto:

• 1 cup walnuts (or you could use almonds, pine nuts or sesame seeds)
• ½ raw garlic clove
• 1 cup fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Combine the above ingredients together in a food processor till almost smooth. Set aside.

• 4-5 collard greens (you could also use romaine lettuce or kale leaves)
• 1 apple, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced.

Wash collards and cut the tough ends off. Or you could score the middle of the stem so it's easier to fold. There is no right or wrong way to fold the wraps.

Place a spoonful of pesto on to the underside (less shiny side) of your wrap. Then place 4 to 5 apple slices and a few slices of avocado. Fold and enJOY!

We enjoyed these wraps as an appetizer and then I baked some fish and sprinkled it with sea salt, lime and made this yogurty sauce for some zip!

Let me know if you try these wraps and what you think of them!

Also, I just wanted to let you know that I've posted my joyous intro video on the home page of joyous health in the slider (see screen shot). Check it out and I hope it inspires you to joyous health.

Check back in a couple of days because I will be announcing the fall workshop schedule at the Joyous Health HQ. Thank you to everyone who came to the workshop this past weekend -- it was a packed house! The spoonk mats and dry skin brushes were a hit! You can see some photos here:

Photo 1: Joyous Set Up

Photo 2: Joyous Package

Photo 3: Joyous Organic Sunscreen

Photo 4: Joyous Organic Lip Balm

Have a joyous day!