The Sunday Swoon: Pure Leaf is An Iced Tea I Can get Behind (Because it is HEALTHY and Delicious) and we are GIVING away a Mega Pure Leaf Gift Basket!

Congrats to our winner Jennifer!

Have I mentioned recently that we just found out my  nine year-old had five cavities?  Yes you heard right- his tiny pearly whites are riddled with cavities. Of course everyone immediately assumes that must mean that we ply him with gummy bears and licorice and basically brush his teeth with sugar paste– and really nothing could be farther from the truth!

And then we got the cavity report and we were crushed- besides for the huge ordeal he had to undergo so far to have his cavities filled- really the saddest thing for a kid! And while he is now ONLY allowed to drink water- on special occasions when he craves a sweet drink our new go to Pure Leaf Iced Tea which just happens to be super DELISH and PERFECT for holiday recipes!

Check out our video below!

A few MUST know facts about Pure Leaf: It is a premium tea within the Pepsi Lipton Tea Partnership, brewed from real tea leaves.

Pure Leaf starts with real ingredients, thoughtfully picked and purposefully crafted to deliver a genuine tea experience. Pure Leaf tea leaves are selected at their peak in countries like Indonesia, India, Africa and South America. Each variety is chosen by Pure Leaf’s Master Tea Blenders for its distinctive characteristics. Pure Leaf flavors available nationwide include Unsweetened, Sweet, Extra Sweet, Lemon (Diet and Regular), Raspberry, Peach (Diet and Regular), Not Too Sweet Peach, Not Too Sweet Honey Green Tea and Tea and Lemonade. In 2014, Pure Leaf’s Share the Love of Leaves program supported real food with a $150,000 donation to Wholesome Wave, a nonprofit focused on making fresh, locally grown food accessible to all.

And Pure Leaf has teamed up with celebrity chef Gail Simmons to share simple cooking ideas that are super easy to recreate and will get your kids (and you) swooning for TEA! And we've got an amazing giveaway to get you and your kids DRINKING AND SWOONING OVER Pure Leaf!

Gail created some exclusive recipes that are both seasonal and simple to make and will impress your guests this fall. Recipes for a Lemon-Ginger Tea Pomegranate Sparkler and a Shaved Fall Vegetable Salad with Tea-Pickled Radishes

Lemon-Ginger Tea Pomegranate Sparkler
By Gail Simmons
Serves 2

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 cup Pure Leaf Iced Tea with Lemon
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
Cold club soda
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds, for garnish
2 cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Instructions: In a saucepan, combine the ginger and Pure Leaf Iced Tea with Lemon and bring to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to steep, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool in an airtight container in the fridge.
Fill two highball glasses with ice. Pour 1/2 cup ginger-infused tea, then 1/4 cup pomegranate juice into each glass. Top each with club soda, garnish with a tablespoon of pomegranate seeds and a cinnamon stick to stir.
For alcoholic version, add 2 ounces gin or bourbon before adding tea.

Shaved Fall Vegetable Salad with Tea-Pickled Radishes
By Gail Simmons
Serves 4

FOR THE TEA-PICKLED RADISHES:
1 cup Pure Leaf Sweet Tea, warmed but not boiling
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 cup apple cider vinegar
8 small radishes, thinly sliced or 4 large watermelon radishes
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Instructions: In a medium bowl, combine the tea with the salt; stir to dissolve. Add the vinegar along with the radishes, garlic and peppercorns. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour or overnight. Drain the pickled radishes, reserving 1Ž4 cup of pickling liquid for use in vinaigrette. Set aside.

Note: The drained radishes can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

FOR THE SHAVED VEGETABLE SALAD:
1/4 cup reserved picking liquid
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 sweet, crisp apples, such as Gala or Fuji, cored and thinly sliced into half moons
2 small heads radicchio, thinly sliced
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced on a bias, leaves reserved for garnish
2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Tea-Pickled Radishes, see recipe above

Instructions: Pour the reserved pickling liquid into a large bowl. Add the honey and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly add olive oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly to emulsify. Add the fennel, apple, radicchio, celery, parsley and pickled radishes to the bowl and toss all ingredients together to coat. Season with more salt and pepper if desired and garnish with celery leaves before serving.

And We are giving one lucky winner a Pure Leaf Basket which will include a:

• Grater
• Spatula
• Juicer
• Mason Jar
• Salad Dressing Mixer Bottle
• To win you must Follow The Staten Island Family on Facebook and leave a comment that you did so. For another chance to win you must FOLLOW @melissaSChapman on Twitter, TWEET this giveaway and leave a comment here that you did so. For another entry you can subscribe to our YOU TUBE CHANNEL and leave a comment here that you did so. For another entry you  can Follow MelissaSChapmanWriter on Instagram and leave a comment here that you did so! For Another entry you can  follow MelissaSChapman on Pinterest . And for another Entry you can follow Melissa Chapman on Google +  and leave a comment here that you did so! GOOD LUCK giveaway ends November 30th!Check out what these sites are swooning about and link up with the Sunday Swoon Below!
  The Staten Island Family // Complicated Mama // Stroller In The City // Lady And The Blog // Mom Generations // Marino Bambinos
  An InLinkz Link-up

  
  

  This post is part of a sponsored conversation with Pure Leaf but as is always the case all opinions expressed are my own