In our home we love all types of food. We are fortunate enough to live in an area where international foods are abundant. A lot of my recipes have an Italian theme, because I am married to a wonderful Italian man who, of course, loves Italian food, but he also loves every type of food available! Enjoy!
"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all." Harriet Van Horne
This soup is delicious and the meatballs are baked in the oven, so there is no messy frying. Add some fresh crusty Italian bread and you've got a meal. If you don't want it spicy, omit the chili peppers and if you want it vegan, omit the meatballs and add some chickpeas as your protein. You can also add some baby spinach at the end of the cooking time. This makes about 6-8 servings.
Ingredients for meatballs:
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese 1/2 cup of finely grated bread crumbs 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp dried basil 1 tsp dried hot chili peppers 1 garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped 1/4 tsp sea salt 1 lb extra-lean ground beef or chicken 1 tbsp olive oil
Ingredients for soup:
2 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 1 sweet red pepper, finely diced 3 cups water 3 cups vegetable stock (low sodium) 3 thinly sliced medium carrots 2 spring onions, chopped 1 tbsp dried hot chili peppers 1 tsp dried basil 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp freshly grated black pepper
Parmesan cheese for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Combine first seven ingredients in a large bowl. Add meat and mix well, blending ingredients with a fork. Roll into 1 inch balls. Lay out on a large non-stick baking sheet, which has been greased with one tsp olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, turning once half-way through, until browned. Place cooked meatballs on paper towels to drain. Set aside. 2. Heat two tsps olive oil in large saucepan, with heavy bottom, on medium heat. Add onion and sweet peppers. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. 3. Add the next 8 ingredients to saucepan, along with the cooked meatballs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 4. Serve in large soup bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top.
I had to post these recipes here, because they are from a great vegan cookbook that my daughter sent to my husband for Christmas, "eat, drink & be vegan" by Dreena Burton. If you have leftovers from the tofu recipe, you can try them in a wrap rolled with fresh veggies. Makes 4-5 servings.
Orange Sesame Tofu ================ Ingredients: 2 tsp arrowroot powder (this is a thickening agent and you can use cornstarch instead) 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1 tsp orange zest 3 tbsp tamari (this is a type of soy sauce that is wheat free---it was not available at my grocery store, so I just used sodium reduced soy sauce) 2 tbsp pure maple syrup 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 2 medium cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (this oil is rich in flavour and absolutely delicious) 1/8 tsp sea salt 1 pkg (12 oz/350 g) extra-firm tofu, sliced 1/2 inch thick squares and patted to remove excess moisture 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced (for garnish) 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds (for garnish)
Preheat oven to 400F. In an 8x12 inch baking dish, combine arrowroot or cornstarch with 2 tbsp orange juice and stir until fully dissolved. Add remaining juice & ingredients, except tofu, green onions & sesame seeds, and stir to combine. Add tofu and turn to coat both sides. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour or more, or bake it immediately. To bake, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Turn over tofu, gently stir to cover with sauce & bake again, uncovered, for another 6-9 minutes or until sauce is thick and bubbly (sauce will continue to thicken as it cools). Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds and serve.
Swiss Chard ========= Ingredients:
1 bunch red, green or rainbow swiss chard, rinsed and dried 1 tsp toasted sesame oil 2-3 pinches sea salt freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/2 tsp tamari 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Remove thick stem and spine from each chard leaf by folding leaf over and cutting stem and spine out down length of leaf. Stack the leaves; roll them up tightly in a cylinder shape , and julienne. In a large frying pan on medium-low, heat 1 tsp sesame oil. Add chard, season with salt & pepper, and toss to lightly coat. Saute for 4-5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until chard reduces slightly, but is still vibrant green. Do not overcook. Toss in 1/2 to 1 tsp of sesame oil, tamari and lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Lime Rice ======== (the recipe is actually for coconut lime basmati rice, but I'm not big on coconut milk and I always have a large supply of brown rice in my cupboard, so I used that--the recipe below is the original from the cookbook) Ingredients:
1 cup dry brown basmati rice 1 can (13 oz/400 ml) light coconut milk 1/2 cup water 2-2 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 1/4 tsp sea salt 1 1/2 tsp lime zest lime wedges (for serving)
In a saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, water, lime juice and salt. Bring to a boil on high heat, stir, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 35-45 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked through. Turn off heat, stir in lime zest and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze on individual portions.
The "secret" ingredients in this recipe are cumin and dried chili peppers. This is a variation of a recipe from the Eat Clean Diet Cookbook. I served it with a side of roasted vegetables--you can use whatever is on hand, but I chopped up a couple of carrots; one sweet potato, a head of broccoli, and 1/2 an onion; place all vegetables in a roasting pan and toss with a couple of tbsps of olive oil, some chopped garlic, salt & pepper and roast beside the chicken at 400F for about 30 minutes. This recipe makes 4 servings.
Ingredients for lentils:
1 can (19 oz) lentils 2 tbsp olive oil 1 clove chopped garlic 1/2 onion, chopped 1 tsp ground cumin 2 cap fulls red wine vinegar 1 tsp dried red chili peppers 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp fresh coarsely ground black pepper
Ingredients for chicken:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 4 tbsps olive oil salt & pepper to taste 1 tsp chili peppers 2 tsps cumin
1. Combine oil, salt, pepper, chili peppers and cumin in a bowl. Add chicken and marinate, covered in refrigerator for 2-3 hours. 2. Rinse lentils well under cold water in colander. Place in a medium sized bowl. In a small bowl, combine oil, cumin, chili peppers, vinegar, salt & pepper. Pour over the lentils and toss gently. In the meantime, saute onions in olive oil until carmelized, about 5 mintues. Add chopped garlic and saute another 1 minute. Toss onions and garlic into lentil mixture. Cover and keep at room temperature. 3. Place marinated chicken and an oiled roasting pan. Roast in a 400F oven for 30 minutes. 4. Spoon lentils onto a plate; place the chicken on top. Spoon roasted vegetables on the side.
This soup is delicious and the meatballs are baked in the oven, so there is no messy frying. Add some fresh crusty Italian bread and you've got a meal. If you don't want it spicy, omit the chili peppers and if you want it vegan, omit the meatballs and add some chickpeas as your protein. You can also add some baby spinach at the end of the cooking time. This makes about 6-8 servings.
