Soup for My Soul and Body

 Tomorrow is my Big Witch chemo (TCH) so I am eating light today and wanted to make a batch of soup for dinner tonight and which I could have tomorrow and Friday as well. This recipe came from The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson (thank you to my friend Donna), but as usual I modified it to use what I had in the pantry. I really liked this soup ... it reminded me of the broth soups I had as a child ... very yummy. I halved the recipe (I am including the full recipe ... just cut the ingredients in half). My substitutions are in parenthesis and are already in the halved amount.

 Chicken Vegetable Soup with Ginger Meatballs

 

Meatballs:

1 lb ground organic dark-meat turkey or chicken

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Pinch of cayenne (Paprika)

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup cooked white basmati or jasmine rice

Soup:

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced small

Sea Salt

1 large carrot, peeled & diced small (1/2 large sweet potato)

1 large celery stalk, diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger (minced)

8 cups organic chicken broth (32 oz.)

1/2 cup fresh or frozen sweet peas

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped (1 tsp. fresh thyme)

1 lime, cut into quarters for garnish 

1. Meatballs: Line sheet pan with wax paper (I just used a flat platter). Combine the turkey/chicken, ginger, garlic, parsley, salt, cayenne, egg and rice in a bowl with a folk (do not over mix or meatballs will be tough). Wet the palms of your hands so the mixture doesn't stick, roll into 1-inch balls, and place them on the prepared pan. Place in fridge while you prepare the soup.

2. Soup: Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and a pinch of salt and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, garlic, ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and continue sauteing for about 3 minutes.

3. Pour in 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to deglaze the pan and cook until the liquid is reduced in half. Add the remaining chicken broth and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, then gently transfer the meatballs into the simmering broth. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

4. Add the peas and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in parsley and basil. Serve each with a wedge of lime.

5. Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Note: The halved recipe makes 9 meatballs, making 3 meatballs per serving ... it was just right for me.