Spring Vegetable Matzah Ball Soup

To me, this soup is a big warm bowl of comfort. It's the soup I grew up eating at family dinners and get-togethers. It is my grandmother, Myra's, famous Spring Vegetable Matzah Ball Soup! To this day, my grandmother continues to make her soup every single Passover. Nobody else ever attempts to make it because they know it wouldn't turn out as delicious as hers. 

This year I am unable to travel home for Passover, so I decided I would whip up a batch of her famous soup to almost make me feel like I am back home with my family.

I'm sure there are many of you reading this who have never tasted matzah ball soup before. If this is true, I highly suggest you make this one. It's different from your traditional matzah ball soup because it has almost every veggie you could imagine in it-- sweet potato, russet potato, asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, parsnips, celery, and onion. 

Because this was my very first time making this soup, I was terrified it wasn't going to turn out. I am so pleased to tell you however, that it came out SO delicious and almost as tasty as when my grandmother cooks it herself. 

The secret to my grandmother's recipe is that it calls for most of the veggies to be grated. Grating the vegetables allows them to break down quickly in the soup and marries all of the delicious flavors together.

This is a family recipe that has been passed down for generations. Luckily it's not a secret recipe so I am more than happy to share it with my reader-friends. I truly hope you try it out and that you love it as much as my family and I do.

There are SO many superfoods in this soup. In fact, 80% of the ingredients are superfoods! I decided to discuss asparagus as my superfood for this week. Asparagus is truly what makes  the soup so springlike pretty. Asparagus contains Vitamin B6 which can help to regulate blood sugar. Asparagus also contains the antioxidant Glutathione which helps keep skin healthy and protects it from sun damage. This veggie is also a natural diuretic which can help flush the body of toxins and excess sodium which can in turn prevent kidney stones. Lastly, asparagus contains a healthy dose of protein and fiber which is essential for healthy digestion. 

Ingredients:

1 box matzah ball mix (don't buy the soup mix, just the mix for the balls)

vegetable oil (whatever amount the box tells you to add

eggs (whatever amount the box tells you to add)

2 carrots- peeled

1 parsnip-peeled

2 small sweet potatoes- peeled

2 small or 1 large russet potato- peeled

1/2 large onion

2 ribs celery- diced

1 lb. asparagus- diced

1 lb. baby portobello mushrooms- sliced

8 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup dill- chopped

salt to taste

Directions:

1) Make matzah balls according to package instructions. I used both packets in the box which made about 18 balls. 

2) Refrigerate matzah balls for at least 1 hour or overnight in a sealed container. 

3) When the balls are cool, cut them into quarters and set aside.

4) Set up food processor with a grater attachment. Add onion, carrots, parsnip, sweet potatoes, and russet potatoes. 

5) Add the above grated veggies into a dutch oven

6) Add the sliced mushrooms and celery on top of the grated vegetables

7) Pour the stock and diced tomatoes on top of the vegetables. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil.

8) Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium and cook UNCOVERED (this is important) for 15 minutes.

9) Add asparagus, dill, and matzah balls and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until matzah balls are cooked through.

10) Taste for seasoning and add 1/2 tsp. of salt if necessary.

11) Serve in big bowls and enjoy!

*This should make about 8 generous servings 

Roasted Carrot Dill Soup

Okay New England, you've broken the all time snowfall record. Now can it PLEASE be spring already? 

I have decided to start cooking brightly colored food to make me feel like it's spring weather even though mother nature tells me otherwise. The color of this carrot soup is so beautifully orange that it makes me happy just looking at it.

The soup gets its beautiful pastel orange color from the amazing carrots I found at Wegman's. Look at these babies- aren't they gorgeous? They're also extremely yummy- raw, roasted, steamed- you name it.

Even though this is a springy looking soup, it is sure to warm you up while its still bitterly cold outside. I used dill as the herb in this dish, as I love the brightness it gives the soup. If you're not a dill fan you can easily substitute your herb of choice.

Carrots are a superfood for so many reasons! They provide a lot of Vitamin A which is an essential vitamin to maintain good eyesight. Vitamin A also helps keep skin healthy by protecting against the sun's harmful rays. Carrots also contain antioxidants which have been said to prevent the body from getting certain cancers. Lastly, carrots contain beta-carotene which is known to help prevent strokes.

Ingredients:

10 medium-sized carrots

1 small onion-diced

1/2 cup dill-chopped

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2 tbsp. olive oil 

salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2) Peel carrots and place them on a baking sheet.

3) Coat carrots in 1 tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4) Roast for 20 minutes.

5) While the carrots are roasting, heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Cook the onions for 5-8 minutes or until tender.

6) Add half of the chicken stock (2 cups) to the onions and bring to a gentle simmer.

7) When carrots are done roasting add them to the onion/broth mixture.

8) Place the lid on the dutch oven and let carrots cook with onions for an additional 10 minutes or medium low heat.

10) Pour mixture into blender with the dill and blend until smooth.

11) Add the blended mixture back into the dutch oven. Pour the remaining 2 cups of chicken stock into the dutch oven and bring to a gentle boil.

12) Simmer soup for an additional 10 minutes.Taste for seasoning and add more salt/pepper if desired.

Enjoy!

*Soup makes about 4 servings 

Baked Turkey Meatballs

I LOVE Italian food. Unfortunately, it isn't always the healthiest, so I try to make it at home more often than going out for it. This way I can control what goes into it and try to lighten it up when possible.

Instead of using beef to make Italian meatballs, I substituted ground turkey to make it healthier. Often times turkey meatballs turn out dry because they are so low fat. My mom taught me a great trick to prevent this from happening- MUSHROOMS! If you add just a small amount of chopped mushrooms into the meatball mixture, you will get a moist and delicious turkey meatball that's just bursting with delicious flavor. 

I like to bake the meatballs in the oven versus babysitting them on the stove. This gives them a chance to get nice and brown and crunchy on the outside without sitting in a ton of oil. 

Also, I wanted these meatballs to be sugar free because of the no sugar challenge that I'm currently doing. Because of this, I used oats instead of bread crumbs. This also makes these meatballs gluten free and extremely healthy.

Oats are my superfood in this recipe and if you want to find out some of the amazing health benefits of oats check it out in one of my other recipes here.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey (I used 94% lean)

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (any kind is fine- I used baby portabellos)

1/8 cup chopped parsley

1/8 cup chopped chives

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tbsp. low-fat milk

salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2) Line 2 baking sheets with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray

3) Combine ground turkey, oats, mushrooms, parsley, chives, and Parmesan in a mixing bowl

4) Whisk the egg with the milk until combined

5) Add milk/egg mixture to the turkey mixture and use your hands to combine

6) Add salt/pepper if you wish

7) Using a tablespoon, scoop out a small amount of the mixture and roll it into a ball

8) Lay the ball on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining mixture (this should make about 24 meatballs)

9) Bake for 10 minutes and then flip the meatballs over

10) Continue baking 5-7 more minutes or until totally cooked through

11) Serve with your favorite tomato sauce and some pasta. :)