Sweet Potato, Baby Kale and Lentil Soup. Seriously AMAZING!

This soup is SO special. Yes I love vegetables but this soup is so special not because of the wonderful veggies but rather because of the seasoning. It is VERY flavorful and intense, in a good way. This could go down in history as one of my favorite (non pureed) soups. My friend gave me this recipe from Pinterest and I switched it around a tad to make it my own.

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Ingredients:

• 3 medium sized sweet potatoes peeled and cubed 
• 2 cups baby kale (you can use more if you would like!)
• 1 cup brown lentils
• 2 tomatoes (vine ripe if possible) chopped
• 1 medium size onion diced
• 1 1/2 TBS Turmeric
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander 
• 1/3 tsp cayenne pepper or more if you  like heat!
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbs fresh ground ginger
• 1 tsp salt (more to taste if you would like)
• Pepper to taste (adding pepper increases the bio availability of turmeric- helping your body absorb more of the nutrients!) 
• 6 cups vegetable broth 
• 1 cup water

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Directions: 

• Heat the largest pot you have for 40 seconds over medium heat, then add about 2 tbs of EVOO or any other oil you prefer. Warm up oil for another 20 seconds then add in chopped onions and stir for 3 minutes.
• Add in all the spices including the ginger. Stir for another 2 minutes.
• Add in tomatoes and lentils. Stir for a minute then finally add in your sweet potato, 6 cups broth, and 1 cup water.
• Bring pot to a boil, cover and reduce to low, letting cook for about 30 minute. 
• After about 30 minutes add in your baby kale and let it cook for another 10 minutes.

Comment below and let me know how it goes! Did you make any changes to the recipe?

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** If I am going to be eating/ serving all the soup right away I add in all the Kale while cooking (like the recipe says). BUT if I know that I will be reheating it and eating it for the next couple of days then I only add in some kale, and right before I heat up the soup to eat the next day I will add in more fresh baby kale! ALSO, if you do not have kale feel free to use baby spinach, or regular Kale just cut up small.

Fiesta Quinoa side dish or snack

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Quinoa is just awesome. And this easy to make, looks like you worked harder than you did dish makes it even better! This can be served cold or at room temperature so it is perfect for summer.You can make this for your next BBQ or to keep in the fridge ready to take out and eat as a snack or side dish.  (** the picture above does not have black beans OR cilantro)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Cooked Quinoa
• 1.5- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half (you can cut it again to make it smaller if you wish)
• 1 large avocado
• 1 can or 2 cups black beans (you can get canned black beans or make them fresh! Follow bag directions for fresh black beans)
• 3 ears fresh corn
• 1 batch cilantro chopped 

Directions:

• Cook your Quinoa and then set aside to cool off completely
• dice tomatoes 
• chop cilantro
• dice your avocado 
• if you are using fresh beans this may take a whole night to prepare. Follow package directions. You can use cans if this is all you have.
• I think fresh corn is BEST for this dish. So try to avoid the canned stuff. How to make corn? You have options:

1. grill
2. boil
3. bake (simple and comes out really good! Add salt and paper to the corn before you place in the oven)

Let the corn cool off and then CAREFULLY cut the corn off the cob. 

After everything is prepared and cooled off you will get a large flat dish to lay out your quinoa. On the side mix the avocados, black beans, corn, tomatoes and cilantro. To this mixture add 3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and one whole juicy lemon! Salt and pepper to taste. 

Place dressing and vegetable mixture on top of quinoa. Do not mix. The vegetables are meant to say on top of the quinoa and get mixed in as people serve themselves.

This makes an amazing dish. If you have leftovers it keeps great in the fridge! Enjoy!

Raw mango pie - using only 4 foods

I had Jody over, from JoJo's Raw Kitchen and she introduced me to the most delicious and easy to make RAW pie.  When I think of dessert I think of chocolate. I am not much of a fruit and nut dessert girl. So when Jody mentioned mango pie, it was not my first choice, but now I have become officially obsessed! This is something that I could eat every day as a sweet treat and not feel bad about it. Seriously awesome.

​Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup dates (take out the pits)
• 1 mango
• 1 banana

Directions:

In a food processor place almonds and chop until almost a powder. Add in dates and blend together until they form a paste. This will be your raw crust. Take out and place in a pie dish to make a crust. Press the paste down hard and form a base to your pie.

Cut up 1 mango and 1 banana. Place in food processor and and blend. This is going to be your "cream" part of the pie!

Pour the mango and banana mixture on top of your raw crust and place in the fridge for 10 minutes then serve. The pie stays good for 4-5 days. It might lose its bright yellow color, but it is still good to eat.

Some tips:

• If your dates are hard soak them in water for about 30 minutes to soften
• Your pie may crumble when you serve it. WHO CARES. Because it just tastes so good.
• Make sure your crust is really stuck together and there are no holes.
• If the almond/date crust is not sticking together add more dates to the mixture.

YUM! Enjoy! Do you have any raw, quick and easy recipes that you would like to share??