Ingredients

for the meatballs:
½ pound ground chicken, turkey, pork or Italian sausage
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 egg, beaten
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

for the soup:
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled, diced
¾ cup orzo pasta or other small pasta
1 medium zucchini, diced
2 cups kale, chopped
8 cups reduced-sodium organic chicken or vegetable broth
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black
pepper to taste
parmesan cheese, for garnish

Directions

make the meatballs:
Make the meatballs by mixing their ingredients together except the olive oil. Shape mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Heat the 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a heavy soup pot. Brown the meatballs, remove and set aside. Pour off any extra fat in the pan.

make the soup:
In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the onion and carrot and cook until softened, scraping up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan when stirring. Stir in the pasta and cook for 1 minute. Stir in zucchini and kale. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir in the meatballs and basil simmer gently for 10 minutes. Adjust the consistency of the soup to your preference by adding water or more broth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Divide the warm soup among bowls and serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

serves 4

Ingredients

5 slices, quality thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch strips
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup pearl barley, picked over, rinsed and drained
8 cups reduced-sodium organic chicken or vegetable broth
1 medium carrot, peeled, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 leek, washed, sliced
1 medium turnip, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
1 cup water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup fresh parsley, minced

Directions

In a heavy soup pot over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate, set aside. Add the onions to the bacon fat and cook until soft (should you have more than 1 Tbls. drain off extra). Stir in the garlic and barley, stirring constantly until fragrant. Add the broth, carrots, celery, leeks, turnips, potatoes and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook covered, stirring occasionally, until the barley and vegetables are tender, about 35 minutes. Add the lemon juice and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Divide the warm soup among bowls. Garnish with the crumbled bacon and a sprinkle of parsley. Serve immediately.

serves 6

Yum

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
¾ cup onion, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
⅓ cup carrots, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon dried dill
1 (14-to 15-ounce) can salmon or about 1 ½ cups cooked flaked salmon
2 cups half-and-half
1 (15-ounce) can creamed corn
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Directions

In a soup pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic, sauté until soft.

Stir in the potatoes, broth, salt, pepper and the dill. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until the potatoes are nearly tender.

Reduce heat to low and add the salmon with the juice, half-and-half and creamed corn, stirring until hot.

Ladle the chowder into warmed soup bowls and garnish with the parsley.
Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 medium onion, sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 cup assorted mushrooms such as, button, cremini and chanterelle
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1 cup cooked wild rice
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
1 (14-to 15-ounce) can salmon

Directions

In a soup pot over medium heat, sauté the bacon until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Add the onion, celery and mushrooms and sauté until soft.

Stir in the flour, mustard and rosemary. Stir in wild rice and broth and bring slowly to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Add the bacon, half-and-half, salmon and juice. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until hot.

Ladle into warmed soup bowls and serve right away.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 whole head garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup onion, diced
1 carrot, finely chopped
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 large new potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
¼ teaspoon ground thyme
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup smoked salmon, canned or fresh, cut into bite-size pieces
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Cut off the top of the head of garlic to expose the cloves. You may need to trim individual cloves along the sides of the head. Brush the cut cloves with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then nestle the head into a piece of aluminum foil. Bake in oven until the cloves are tender and nicely browned, about 20 minutes.

Remove roasted garlic from the oven, carefully open the foil and allow to cool slightly. When garlic is cool enough to handle, cut the head in half horizontally so that all of the cloves are exposed. Squeeze both halves to release the roasted cloves into a medium bowl.

While garlic is roasting, heat remaining 1-tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan. Stir in the onion and the carrot and cook, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes. Pour the chicken broth into the saucepan and add the potatoes, rosemary and thyme. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove about ½ of the potatoes from the pot and reserve. Place the roasted garlic cloves into a blender and add the soup, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the contents moving before letting it run. Puree the soup in small batches, until smooth. Pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.

Stir in the reserved potato cubes, heavy cream and smoked salmon into the pureed soup and bring to a simmer. Serve hot, with a sprinkle of green onion.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

4 slices quality thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch strips
1 medium onion, diced
8 cups reduced-sodium organic
chicken or vegetable broth
2 red potatoes (2 cups) peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
¾ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
2 cups frozen shelled edamame
1 (15-ounce) can creamed corn
2 cups (cooked) shredded rotisserie chicken or canned chicken (undrained)
1½ cups half-and-half
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup fresh basil, chopped

Directions

In a heavy soup pot over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate, set aside. Add the onions to the bacon fat and cook, stirring occasionally until soft. Add the broth, potatoes and Italian seasoning. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender. Stir in the edamame, creamed corn, chicken, half-and-half and reserved bacon; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh basil. Simmer until edamame are tender.

Divide the warm soup among bowls and serve.

Serves 4

What are Edamame? Japanese for “beans on a branch” ‒ are a type of soybean that’s picked when young, plump and tender (as opposed to field soybeans, which are harvested when mature and dry). Edamame have a sweet, nutty flavor. Think of them as an alternative to fava beans or lima beans.

Ingredients

4-5 large potatoes, peeled, diced
5 thick slices of bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
5 tablespoons butter
¾ cup onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup red bell pepper, diced
½ cup carrots, grated
¾ cup celery, diced
¾ cup all-purpose flour
6 cups water
2 (6-ounce) cans clams with juice
2 pounds (3-4 cups) assorted seafood, salmon, halibut, crab, shrimp
¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper
1½ teaspoons curry powder
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Directions

Boil potatoes until tender, drain and reserve.

In a soup pot, fry the bacon until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Add butter to the soup pot. Add the onion, garlic, red bell pepper, carrots and celery, sauté over medium heat until soft.

Stir in the flour. Pour in the water and clams with juice. Bring to a slow boil, stirring frequently, until thickened. Add the seafood, potatoes, bacon, seasonings, half-and-half and milk. Simmer until all of the fish is opaque throughout, another 5 minutes.

Ladle into warmed soup bowls and garnish with the parsley. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Note: Yukon gold potatoes are an excellent choice for this recipe because of their buttery taste and firm texture. Classified as all purpose potatoes, they are lower in starch than russets and hold their shape well during cooking.

Variation tip: Canned salmon may be used in place of the fresh salmon.