Eggplant Meatballs

• Preheat oven to 350 f
• Peel eggplant and cut into cubes
• Place water in bottom of pot and boil or steam eggplant until soft
• Remove eggplant and squeeze out excess water
• Mash eggplant until smooth or use a food processor to blend until smooth
• Place eggplant and rest of ingredients
• Mix well
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper
• Rollout balls, they will be soft(don’t worry)
• Bake for 20 minutes or until tender and firm to touch

Marinara

• Heat pot with oil and sauté onion and garlic until onions are transparent.
• Add bell pepper and sauté another minute.
• Add tomato paste and cook until brown and fragrant
• Add rest of ingredients and let simmer 20 minutes; stir often
• When meat balls have cooled, gently place in marinara until ready to serve. Or pour sauce over meatballs. Can garnish with cheese and/ or fresh basil.

Pasta

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt then the pasta and cook to al-dente. Drain and serve with meatballs.

For the Soup

• Pour coconut oil into large saucepan. Add onions over med low heat and sweat until translucent. Add in carrots and ginger and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes or until carrots are fork tender. Meanwhile make the gremolata. Place the soup into blender and puree until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

For the Gremolata

• Place all ingredients into food processor and pulse until it reaches a chunky pesto like consistency

• Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flake and cook for a few minutes.
• Grind the cumin, coriander and mustard seeds lightly in a pestle and mortar, then add to the pan, along with the turmeric and garam masala, and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the lentils, tomatoes with their juice, coconut milk and broth, then stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and cook on medium-low for 15-20 minutes, until reduced and thick.
• If you have time, you can leave it a little longer on very low heat for even more flavor (just stir often and check it doesn't scorch the bottom of the pan). Taste and add more seasoning if desired.
• Stir in lemon juice and spinach until it wilts.