spicy meatball and vegetable soup

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.

Cranberry Chicken Curry with Roasted Vegetables

This is a variation of a recipe found in a great cookbook that I bought recently, called "The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook". You can find more information on this book & the author, Tosca Reno, at www.eatcleandiet.com or www.toscareno.com -- No, I am not on a diet, but this book is more about a lifestyle, rather than depriving yourself of healthy, wholesome food. The original recipe called for skinless, boneless chicken breasts, but I used chicken thighs with the bone in and skin on---I just browned the chicken first, removed the skin and then put it in the marinade. I found the chicken thighs were juicier ( I tried the skinless breast version but did not like it). The original recipe called for dried apricots, but I used dried cranberries--only because that was what I had on hand and I knew they would make a great alternative. Also, instead of "garam masala", which is a blend of dry roasted spices often used in Pakistani/Indian cuisine, I used a combination of cumin and hot dried chili peppers. This recipe is for 3 servings but can easily be doubled.

Ingredients for cranberry chicken curry:

6 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
1tsp cumin
1 tsp dried chili peppers
1, one inch piece fresh ginger root, grated
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or apricots--if using apricots, chop them into thirds)
1/3 cup low fat, low sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 sweet onion, finely sliced
6 tbsps medium salsa
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Ingredients for roasted vegetables:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into one inch pieces
1 sweet potato (yam), sliced into one inch rings and then quartered
1 large red sweet pepper, thinly sliced
1 bunch of broccoli, flowerets cut off & stalks peeled and sliced
1/2 red onion, cut into large chunks

Preparation for chicken:

1. In a large skillet, brown chicken well over medium heat, turning once. Remove skin & discard. Dispose of pan drippings.
2. Prepare marinade of chili peppers, cumin, ginger root, garlic, orange juice and lemon or lime juice. Place chicken in marinade, cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
3. In a separate bowl, cover dried cranberries (or apricots) with water & soak for 2 hours. Drain.
4. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a shallow casserole dish with olive oil. Layer onions and cranberries (0r apricots) on the bottom. Remove chicken from marinade and place, bone side down, over onions and cranberries. Pour marinade and chicken stock over top of the chicken. Spoon one tbsp of salsa over each piece of chicken. Season with sea salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake for a further 15 minutes.

Preparation for roasted vegetables:

1. In a medium sized shallow roasting pan, drizzle olive oil across the bottom. Add garlic and vegetables, including onions. Do NOT cover. Place in the same 350F oven with the chicken and roast for one hour, tossing gently once after 30 minutes.