So you went to the Farmers’ Market, got seduced by all the beautiful colors and your fridge is now full of more vegetables than you know what to do with. You’ve had a busy week and your plans for eating up those beauties is becoming just that—only plans. Don’t fret, you can use every last vegetable to make the most delicious veggie broth or veggie puree you ever tasted. It’s simple to prepare, makes a great base for soups of all kinds, and you can freeze it for future use (see tips below). Now you can feel good knowing that no vegetables will sit lonely and unused in the fridge, only to meet their fate at the bottom of the trashcan.
You can use any combination of veggies to make a vegetable stock. The wider variety of vegetables (and colors), the richer and more complex the flavor. The recipe below is for a plan-ahead batch. For those times when you want to use up the goods in your fridge before they go bad, follow the same preparation below, just make sure to add some herbs, sea salt, onion and garlic to whatever you have on hand. Experiment and share what you come up with.
Makes: 3-4 cups of stock | Preparation Time: 2 hrs
Tools:
Blender (optional)
Large pot or saucepan
Ingredients:
Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why.
14 cups pure water
1 large clove organic garlic, chopped
1-2 stalks of organic celery, chopped
1/2 organic sweet potato, chopped
1/2 red organic onion, chopped
8-10 organic asparagus spears
1 small organic yellow squash, chopped
1 small organic zucchini, chopped
1/2-1 organic red pepper
1/2-1 organic yellow pepper
1 tsp-1Tbsp pink Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
Large handful of flat parsley
1/8-1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
Let’s Get Started:
Place all of your rinsed and chopped vegetables, herbs and seasonings into a large pot or saucepan. Add pure water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
When 2 hours has passed, strain and either use right away, or store in an airtight glass container in the fridge or freezer. Use vegetable broth to cook rice, quinoa, amaranth or millet instead of water. Vegetable stock is satisfying during a juice fast or detox too.
If you want to use every last bit of vegetables, or you are in need of a vegetable puree, blend everything—broth and cooked veggies— until smooth. Vegetable puree is also great for cooking rice, quinoa, amaranth or millet instead of water.
Save in the fridge for up to one week or freeze in ice cube trays for future use. Once frozen, immediately transfer cubes to an airtight glass container to protect them from freezer burn. Freezing in cubes is a great way to have any portion size you need ready when you need it.