Cooking it up in Las Vegas!
On a recent trip to Las Vegas I met up with Patti from Live Balanced Naturally. She invited me into her kitchen to make this awesome recipe. Patti works with middle aged women who are seeking a re-birth in life. Women who want to rejuvenate. She has an in-house studio for yoga and pilates and is a Reiki master. What you don’t see in the video is the garden she has in the back patio full of herbs and veggies! We had a great time cooking and I learned so much from her. I hope you can too in this episode!
Avocados – Get your fat on!
So the main ingredient in this dish are the avocados! Avocados are the fat gods of the real food world, at least that is how I feel about it. They derive 71% to 88 % of their calories (depending on the variety) from FAT! Now I can remember a time in my life not so long ago that I would shy away from “HIGH FAT” foods, even avocados. What I didn’t know is that the avocado has the best kind of fat for your body to run at full strength, these are called monounsaturated fats. It is the fat that is responsible for lowering cholesterol and SO is good for your heart. So eat up!
Ingredients:
12 Pasta Shells – cooked to al-dente
2 Avocados, pitted
2 TBS of Feta Cheese
2 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
1 TBS of Fresh Basil, finely chopped
1 TBS of Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
1/3 Cup Baby Spinach, chopped
6-8 Grape Tomatoes, sliced
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1/2 – 1 cup Marinara
Pre-heat oven to 350. Cook shells according to package, drain and let cool. Combine avocado, feta, basil, parsley, spinach, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Mash until well blended but not smooth. Stuff shells with the combined ingredients. Spoon some marinara in a baking dish large enough to hold all the shells, then line up the stuffed shells in single layers. Top with more marinara. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 mins. Garnish with parsley and even some parmesan cheese.
Go2knowledge:
- Ripe Avocados will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days
- Avocados don’t start to ripen until they are cut from the tree
- To ripen an Avocado more quickly leave it on the counter in a paper bag along with a tomato
- An Avocado that has gone brown is still edible and does not effect the taste
- The Avocado has more beta carotene than any other fruit
Click here to see my exclusive interview with Patti about go2kitchens!
