Heart Healthy Meals for Late Winter

Here's a variation on the conventional bean soup, studded with beans of assorted colors and shapes and enhanced by the flavor of roasted vegetables.

• 1 medium eggplant, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 white potato, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 leek (white part only), chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp marjoram
• one half tsp sage
• one-half tsp thyme
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
• 1 15 oz can black-eyed peas, drained
• 2 quarts vegetable or chicken broth (I like the aseptic kind)
• one-half cup dry white wine
• 3 tsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat large jellyroll pan with cooking spray (olive or vegetable oil). Combine vegetables and herbs in a bowl and arrange on the pan. Spray generously with the vegetable oil spray again. Bake until vegetables are browned and tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in large saucepan. Saute garlic until tender and fragrant. Add roasted vegetables, beans, broth, wine and vinegar; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 5-10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

You might want to accompany the soup with this salad, incorporating some spring greens like arugula. The nuts provide a nice dose of vitamin E!

• 9 cups mixed seasonal lettuce greens
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 1 T maple syrup
• one-fourth cup crumbled bleu cheese
• one-fourth cup red wine vinegar
• one-half cup extra-virgin olive oil
• one-half tsp seasoned salt
• dash freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

1. Wash greens and spin dry. Store in salad spinner until needed.
2. Place pecans in a large dry skillet over medium heat. Stir a few minutes until fragrant. Stir maple syrup into nuts and cook a few minutes or until well-coated and syrup is absorbed into nuts. Transfer to parchment lined tray to cool.
3. Combine remaining ingredients (except cheese) to make salad dressing. Toss with greens. You may have too much dressing; just toss with enough to moisten.
4. Toss with pecans and bleu cheese; serve immediately.

This light dessert is not only delicious but packed with vitamin C. It's already pink for Valentine's Day but you might want to serve scoops of this icy treat with a strawberry on top.

• 2 and one-fourth cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups fresh pink grapefruit juice (about 10 large grapefruit)
• one-third cup honey

1. Prepare the simple syrup by combining the sugar and water in a large saucepan and stirring well. Bring sugar mixture to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until sugar dissolves.
2. Combine one and one-third cups syrup and juice in a large bowl, and stir well. Set mixture aside.
3. Place honey in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high 30 seconds or until warm. Add to juice mixture; stir well.
4. Pour mixture into a 13x9x2 inch dish; cover and freeze at least 8 hours or until firm.
5. Remove mixture from freezer, and scrape entire mixture with the tines of a fork until fluffy, Spoon into a freezer safe container; cover and freeze up to a month.