Gluten Free Homemade Vegetable Broth Recipe and a WINNER!

Credits:
Photo reprinted with persmission and courtesy of Noob Cook

It was one of those "Oh... I didn't even think about that" vegan moments. A recipe called for chicken broth. What do you use in place of chicken broth? Water didn't sound that appealing and tomato juice was too tomato-ey...

So... after another "duh" moment, I decided to make vegetable broth. Why didn't I think of this before? This is SO easy and so delicious and works so well in recipes... who needs chicken broth!

What I love about making broth is that you can create the flavor that you want. If you like more onions, add more onions, if you like more carrots, add more carrots! If you want tomatoes, add tomatoes! It's completely up to you and you can change it every time. Another great thing about homemade vegetable broth is that it is an excellent way to use vegetables that aren't quite as fresh as they used to be. Are they starting to shrivel? Look a little tired? It's okay, they won't mind at all. Just throw them in the pot!

So today's recipe is simply a suggestion. Try this out. Make your own vegetable broth. Feel domestic... and enjoy the fact that you created this wonderfully healthy broth to use in your home cooking.

Some uses for homemade vegetable broth:

• Use it as your "liquid" in making mashed potatoes and/or homemade stuffing, it adds a truly delicious flavor!
• Make your own homemade soups and stews with the vegetable broth as the base liquid.
• Use the broth to cook rice & pasta, and to boil potatoes in... you will LOVE the flavor it adds!
  
• Vegetable broth is fat free and can be a great tool to use in low fat cooking such as sauteing and steaming.
  
• If you have someone who is sick: give them plain warmed vegetable broth. It is very healthy and can soothe sore throats and is gentle on upset stomachs.
• Bring leftover casseroles back to life by adding a few tablespoons of homemade vegetable broth over the entire dish and heating it in the oven. It will rehydrate the dish and make it taste like it was just made!
• It will make the best base for a vegetable and dumpling soup that you have ever tasted!
  

Basic Homemade Vegetable Broth
Written by: Carrie @ http://www.gingerlemongirl.com
The ingredients for this very basic broth will make about 10 cups of broth.
You can use more or less ingredients + water to create the amount that you will use.

2 whole carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly sliced
2-4 whole peeled cloves of garlic
1/2 of a large green pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
10 mushrooms (any type will work!), rinsed
4-5 small red potatoes, quartered
*** Any vegetables will really work for this broth, use what you have on hand!***

Optional seasonings:
1-2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
Salt-free seasonings such as Mrs. Dash
Salt & Pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon summer savory
1 teaspoon rosemary
1-2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
Fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Coarsely chop all vegetables and add to a large stock pot. Also add any optional seasonings that you desire.
2. Add 10-12 cups of water to the stock pot.
   
3. Bring stock to a rolling boil and then turn heat down to just simmering.
   
4. Simmer over low heat for 2-4 hours.
5. Taste the stock as it cooks to adjust seasonings until you get the flavor that you desire.
   
6. Once stock has cooked, let it cool for several hours on the stove top.
7. When cool, strain stock through a very fine sieve to remove all vegetables. You will be left with a very fine tan - brown stock that is absolutely delicious.
   
8. Some people choose to puree the vegetables that were used in the stock and add then add them back to broth for a creamier texture. You can do this if you choose too. If you want a clear stock, simply use the discarded vegetables for another dish, or add them to your compost.
   
9. Store cooled broth in glass jars or airtight containers in the refrigerator or the freezer. Will keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator and for 6 months in the freezer.
   

(Printer-friendly recipe.)

****************

The winner of Stephanie O'Dea's Make it Fast, Cook it Slow Cookbook was chosen randomly with the help of Random.org...

The winner is:
GUDRUN45

Her entry stated:
"My favorite slow cooker recipe is an extremely simple pinto bean soup. I'd sure like to expand my gluten-free crockpot horizons and would love to win this book.

Gudrun45 -- Please email me at gingerlemongirl@gmail.com with your contact information and I will ship the book to you immediately!

Congratulations to Gudrun45 and THANK YOU to everyone who entered the contest!

Cheeseburger Chowder (Gluten Free)

It is definitely the season for soups, chowders,and stews. I made a killer beef stew on Saturday evening. We had company over and we knocked out that stew. Completely gone.

By Monday I was craving stew again, but I didn't have any more stew beef.

I DID have some grass-fed beef from a local grower. Hmmm...

I did a quick search on allrecipes.com and found this recipe. I thought it looked promising. My husband loves cheeseburgers, so I thought the recipe might be a winner. I made several distinct changes to make the recipe gluten-free and a bit healthier.

We used sweet potatoes in place of the regular white potatoes in the original recipe. The sweet potatoes are a delicious savory addition and add vivid color to this chowder, along with a tiny bit of sweetness. The combination of flavors in this recipe is truly fantastic!

I hope you'll give this easy cheesy chowder a try this fall!

Just so you know... we knocked this chowder out too. It's completely gone. And that wonderful, but picky husband of mine? Absolutely loved it, hands down!!

Cheeseburger Chowder

1 pound grass-fed, low-fat beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 cups gluten free chicken broth (I use Herb Ox Chicken Bouillon)
4 cups sweet potatoes, skinned and cubed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups organic milk

Toppings:
- Italian parsley
- crumbled turkey bacon
- shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a large dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add onions, celery, garlic, and ground beef. Cook until beef is browned. Stir in parsley and basil. Add chicken broth and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes. In a glass measuring cup melt remaining butter in the microwave. Add milk to measuring cup with melted butter and whisk in cornstarch. Gradually pour milk mixture into chowder, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cheese until heated through. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve. Sprinkle bowls of chowder with toppings. Enjoy! Makes 5-6 large servings.

(Printer-friendly version.)