Kale stuffed peppers

So tomorrow I start the BluePrintCleanse again. I did the three day cleanse around this time last year and while I had mixed feelings about it, I have decided to take the plunge again.

I am preparing a little bit better this time around. I am on my third day with no coffee, having cut down from my usual three cups a day to one cup of black tea. And today I ate raw vegan- fruit for breakfast, some veggies for lunch, and some nuts pre-run for energy. For dinner tonight, I ended up making red peppers stuffed with kale and avocado. Super simple, all raw.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale, stems trimmed and shredded
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 avocado
2 bell peppers


Cut the avocado in half and mash up one half in a bowl. Mix the mashed avocado with the kale leaves (hands are actually the best method here to get it fully incorporated) and then add in the carrots. Cut the other half of the avocado into small chunks. Add in, mixing lightly.

Cut tops off of peppers and remove inner ribbing and seeds. Stuff with the kale salad.

I added a side salad of shaved zucchini with some olive oil.

Delicious....and the last solid meal I will have for three days. eek.

 

Creamy Avocado Pasta

After a two hour hot yoga class last night finishing at 7:30PM, I was not really in the mood to do much cooking when I got home. Luckily, I found this recipe by Angela Liddon, who writes an awesome vegan blog called “Oh She Glows”. I had half an avocado on hand so I halved the recipe and added in some cherry tomatoes.  It was delicious and came together so quickly, I was able to sit down to eat before 8PM!


Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted
• 1/2 lemon, juiced & zest reserved for garnish
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1-2 garlic cloves (I recommend one clove, unless you are a big garlic fan)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 6oz servings of pasta (I used whole wheat angel hair)
• 2 tsp pine nuts
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• Black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring several cups of water to aboil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, salt, and 1 tablespoon of water. Process until smooth and creamy.

3. When pasta is done cooking, place pasta into a large bowl with tomatoes. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined.* Garnish with lemon zest, pine nuts, and black pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.

*Note - Reserve a little pasta water in case you need to thin out your sauce.