Day 5: Confetti Lentils with a Fried Egg & Braised Leeks

I haven't exactly been "by the book" on this cleanse, and tonight was no exception. The protein paired with the confetti lentils was lamb shank, which would have been delicious, but I've decided to forfeit red meat during this process. Bonus - I love fried eggs in strange places. Somehow a leek ended up in my grocery basket last weekend, so I googled "braised leeks" and found a simple recipe from Epicurious.

I learned two things today. One, my new blender is awesome - powerful, quiet, easy to clean. Two, lentils take a lot longer to cook than I thought they did. The recipe said 20-30, but it took at least 40 minutes. Have a snack on hand.
- Breakfast: Banana almond smoothie made from 1 frozen banana, 1 cup almond milk, 1 tablespoon almond butter, 2 dashes cinnamon

- Lunch: Spinach salad topped with canned tuna, blood orange slices, cucumber slices, pistachios and pepitas with drizzle of olive oil and whole grain mustard

- Snacks: Pickle, carrot sticks, almonds, apple

- Dinner: Confetti lentils with a fried egg and braised leek (just the one leek)
- Dessert: 7 dark chocolate chips, a few frozen berries and a dried fig

Confetti Lentils

1 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup baby carrots, diced

1/2 medium celery root (I left this off)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 onion, diced

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup French green lentils

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add vegetables to the pan and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in lentils and add 3 cups of boiling water to the pot. Return to a boil then cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Lentils should be tender but keep their shape. Add salt and pepper if desired. *Do not strain liquid. Store leftover lentils in cooking liquid to keep them tender. Serve using slotted spoon. Top with fried egg to make a meal!

Braised Leeks with Lemon 
4 leeks, tough exterior removed and trimmed to be 7" long, cut into quarters lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Soak or rinse leek thoroughly to remove grit. In heavy pan, heat olive oil and add leeks. Cook leeks for 5 minutes, then add chicken broth. Continue to cook until leeks are very tender, around 5-7 minutes. Top with lemon zest and serve immediately.