Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I am going to share with you one of my favorite and EASIEST recipes for the amount of deliciousness involved.  Sweet Potato Fries!  And these are baked so they are actually healthy.
(Note: Husbands & boyfriends LOVE these)

Here are your ingredients:

-Sweet Potatoes
-Olive Oil
-Garlic Powder
-Salt
-Pepper

Yup, that's it.  Now all you gotta do is peel & chop those babies up into whatever fry-shape pleases you (I like to make mine thick like steak fries).  Throw them in a bowl, toss with enough olive oil to lightly coat them, some salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste (I like a lot), and then lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment (you could probably skip this if you don't have any but I like it because it soaks up some of the oil and makes them crispier).  Bake at 450 for about 20 mins or until golden brown.  Let cool a little and enjoy!

Lori's Lentil Soup

I am dedicating this recipe to my beautiful friend Lori who is a brand new mama of the most adorable baby boy.  She loved the Kale & White Bean soup and requested I post a recipe for one featuring lentils.  So here it is!  A healthy soup, chock-full of veggies and goodness that makes great leftovers - perfect for a mama on-the-go.

You Will Need:

1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
2 cups dry lentils
8 cups water (or any kind of broth)
1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vinegar (balsamic tastes great!)
ground black pepper
salt

Directions: 

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions, carrots and celery and sautée until onion is tender.  Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil.  Cook for 2 minutes.

*I should note that I am a garlic LOVER so I added 4 cloves instead of 2 and it was delicious.  I also felt like my carrots were a little on the small side so I added an extra one as well as an extra celery stalk.  That's the great thing about soups - you can pretty much throw in whatever you like!

Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach and cook until it wilts.  Stir in vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

P.S.  I served mine with Trader Joe's Cornbread and it was AMAZING!

My Favorite Things, Part 1

Happy Daylight Savings everyone!  I am really excited because I have some great new recipes I am going to be trying out tonight for Sunday dinner (& dessert) which also makes for another really great blog post (assuming they turn out and are also delicious).  But seeing as it's only 10am I can't very well make dinner & then blog about them now, so instead I am going to start a new post called "My Favorite Things".  I have a lot of favorite things and the list is constantly growing so I think this will be an ongoing feature here on Turquoise & Tea and a great place for me to introduce to you my new finds and my old faithfuls. I'll also include links so you can snag said goodies for yourself.  So welcome to part one of:

My Favorite Things

1.  Trader Joe's Spiced Apple Bread Mix

I love Trader Joe's because everything they sell is all-natural, preservative free, and they always offer organic options at really great prices.  Obviously baking from scratch is always going to be your healthiest choice because you know exactly what you're putting into the recipe, but for those times when you want something quick and easy (and delicious), TJ'S Spiced Apple Bread Mix takes the cake (or muffin, or loaf, or whatever kind of pan you want to make it in).  You throw it in a bowl, add a few things, bake for 55-60 minutes and out comes the most delicious homemade-tasting, apple-y, cinnamon-y treat that you can serve your guests and they'll think you're Martha Stewart (if you hide the box before they get there and quickly change the subject when they ask you for the recipe).  Not only that, I just found an awesome vegan version of the recipe here which I am totally making for my friend Amanda next time she comes over.

2.  Yankee Candle in Danish Butter Cookie

For those times when you don't want to bake but you want your home to smell like it, this is the best candle I've ever had.  I'm not kidding, you can actually smell the butter and the sugar melting and it makes me want to eat my house.  I'm already on my second one and on the lookout for more.  Word of advice:  do not burn when hungry.

*Note:  I just went to the Yankee Candle website and lo and behold their brand new candle collection is called "My Favorite Things" and features such scents as Raindrops on Roses and Crisp Apple Strudel!  Amazing!  

3. Vintage Soda Crates

I just love the look of vintage, flea market, farmhouse-style finds and these old-school soda crates totally fit the bill and can be used for so many things!  I have one on my kitchen counter that I use to hold my wine bottles but they'd also be great for magazines, cookbooks, laundry supplies - you name it!  If you look around you can find some great deals on Etsy and maybe even your local flea market.  I also love these vintage cheese crates.  A friend of mine bought a bunch and filled them with succulents and used them as centerpieces at her wedding and they looked AMAZING!  And we got to take one home at the end which made me very happy :)

4. Mason Jars 

There will probably be an entire post dedicated to this at some point because - if you can't tell from my blog header - I have a penchant for mason jars, especially of the turquoise variety.  I love them as drinking glasses, flower vases, candle holders, kitchen utensil holders, decorative window displays... and I love that if you keep an eye out you can find them at random thrift stores just about anywhere.  The vintage ones are usually around ten bucks apiece (although I've heard some can be a lot more) and whenever I come across one I feel like I've found an item on a treasure hunt.  Stay tuned for future craft projects involving said jars...

5. Le Creuset

I know these aren't the cheapest pots on the block, but if you love cooking and can save up for one DO IT.  I was given one as a gift last Christmas and I swear to you it is the greatest pan I have ever owned.  Things cook better, I'm pretty sure they taste better, and it makes me feel like Julia Child.  It lives on my stovetop because it's too pretty to put away.  These are something you can collect over the years and are of such great quality that you'll probably pass them down to your great grandchildren.

So that concludes the very first edition of "My Favorite Things".  I'm off to organize my bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.

Kale & White Bean Soup

For today's post I thought I would share with you another great, simple recipe that I have been making a lot.  Who doesn't love a big warm bowl of soup as the weather turns colder?  This is one of my favorites because it's SOUP-er (hehe) easy to make, is insanely healthy, and uses that great wonder-vegetable we have been hearing so much about lately... KALE!

*Kale is widely considered to be among the world's most nutritious vegetables – it's high in beta carotene, vitamins K and C and is loaded with antioxidants.

I have been trying to find more ways to incorporate kale into my diet and this soup has a ton of it, is delicious, and always turns out great.  It's also quick to make for those nights when you don't have a lot of time but want to throw together something impressive and healthy.  And for those veggie-friends out there - it's vegan, too!  Enjoy!

Kale & White Bean Soup

You will need:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 (32-ounce) box low sodium vegetable broth
4 cups packed chopped kale (remove tough inner stems)
1 (14.5-ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
2-3 large carrots, peeled & sliced

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Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add your chopped onions & cook for about 3 minutes.  Then add your chopped garlic and cook for another 2 minutes (make sure you stir as garlic burns easily).  Now add the broth, kale, tomatoes & carrots and put the lid on.  Cook for 5 minutes or until kale is tender.  Add beans & heat thoroughly.  Serve & enjoy!

See how easy that was?  The great thing about soups is that they're also great for using up whatever leftover vegetables you have in your fridge.  For instance, last time I made this I had some green onions that were getting wilty so I chopped them up & in they went!

Also worth mentioning, if you live near a Trader Joe's they now sell pre-washed, pre-trimmed bags of kale for $1.99!  Such a great deal and it makes things super easy.  (*I noticed that some of the pieces of kale still had pretty thick stems attached so I went through and tore off the big ones before I threw them in the pot.  Not sure if this was necessary but I wanted to make sure all of the ones that ended up in my soup were nice and soft).

Also the recipe says to cook for 5 minutes but if you have other things to do (preferably in the kitchen as you should never leave anything on the stove unattended) you can totally put your burner on low & leave this soup simmering for as long as you want! Last time I made a delicious homemade pizza to go alongside it and the soup just simmered away as I chopped & assembled.  All in all a great, healthy, delicious meal that you will definitely make again.


xo!