Homemade Stock and Soup

Homemade veggie stock from frozen vegetable scraps

Veggie soup: onion, garlic, carrots, celery, tomato, Bobs Red Mill Soup Mix (lentils, red lentils, barley, pasta), broccoli, kidney beans, tomato paste

Added 1 chicken thigh for added protein

Kale Veggie Soup

Made two batches of homemade broth from veggy scraps and now making soup. Carrot, celery, onion, garlic, tomato, zucchini, kale, lentils, kidney beans, and barley…

Fish for Breakfast

This meal goes out to my buddy Darren. We were having a conversation about breakfast, prompted by his suspicion that Kashi might not be as healthy as they told him and might actually be processed food. I sent him this picture and told him that’s what I eat for breakfast. His response was “the fish is a little much for breakfast.” Maybe. But it doesn’t mean it’s not delicious!

Ingredients:

Vegetable soup (carrots, celery, onions, garlic, crushed tomato, white beans, green lentils, zucchini, in homemade vegetable broth), with wild sockeye salmon, almonds, walnuts, and beets, topped with sriracha and salt.

Chicken Soup for the Soul

Man, I’ve been making my own vegetable broth for a few months now and it has completely changed my soup game. Hopefully you can see from this picture just how rich that broth is. And believe me, it tastes as good as it looks. The best part is how easy it is. You can see how to do it here.

But the thing I love about making a vegetable soup, is that it is really the perfect base for any meal. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And you can add anything you want to it, like I did with chicken thighs and garbanzo beans for this dish.

Ingredients:

Baked chicken thighs, homemade vegetable soup (carrots, celery, garlic, onions, white beans, in a homemade broth), topped with olive oil, salt, and sriracha.

Breakfast: Turkey Chili

I got my hands on local ground turkey recently from Littleton Meats, and in keeping with my theme of cooking in the crock pot, I thought it’d be nice to make a turkey chili.

But all the recipes I found called for a long ingredient list, most of which I didn’t have, and a long cook time, time I also didn’t have. So I did the next best thing.

I cooked the ground turkey in a pan and then added it to vegetable soup I made a couple of days earlier. I also added some brussels sprouts cooked the night before.

Yes, this isn’t chili, but it’s the next best thing and it’s hits the same spots. In some ways I think it’s better. I have three different ingredients, soup, turkey, brussels, that I can mix and match with anything else in my kitchen.

I realized this morning that it’s not really meal prep we’re after. It’s food prep to be used to create different meals.

Breakfast: Vegetable Soup and Eggs Over Easy

I love having a nice vegetable soup in the refrigerator to use as the base for any dish. This morning I decided to use it for breakfast.

I pumped up the soup with a handful of boiled broccoli, chopped red onion, and spiced pumpkin seeds (which added a nice texture to every bite).

For protein, and to make it feel more like “breakfast,” I added two pasture raised eggs from Sisu Farms cooked over easy. The runny yolk brought an additional layer of flavor to the dish.

I finished the bowl with salt, fig balsamic vinegar, and olive oil that was imported from Palestine and being sold at a local store called The Local (it’s also where I was able to pick up 2 whole pasture raised chickens from Sisu Farms).

This warm tasty dish was the perfect way to start my day.

Homemade Veggie Stock and Soup

I’ve been keeping all of my food scraps in a plastic bag in the freezer. I hate throwing away food so when I learned this technique of making vegetable stock out of scraps I went all in. This was my second time trying it which is always better than the first because I got to try things I missed the first time to make it better.

It was also exciting because this time I had new scraps. Peppers, eggplant, and my favorite, beets to add to the flavors! The recipe is so simple.

The biggest pot I have in my rental house holds only 10 cups of water. So I unloaded 1/2 of a gallon size ziplock worth of frozen scraps into the pot, and then covered them with water until the liquid hit the 10 cups level.

Then I added 2 bay leaves, 2 tsp of dry parsley, 3 - 4 pinches of sea salt, 1 tsp of turmeric, and 1 tsp of ginger root. Brought it all to a boil, and then brought the heat down to a simmer.

I didn’t time it, but once the liquid came down to about 8 cups, 2 cups evaporated off, I drained the pot. I probably could’ve let it go a bit longer, the originally recipe says once the liquid has reduced to half take it off, but we only have one pot and someone needed to make pasta. The stock (to the left) came out looking medicinal, and it tastes that way too. In a good way. It’s just so rich and full of abundance.

The next logical step of course was to make soup. I started it the same way I have been.

• 2 chopped carrots

• 2 slices of chopped red onion

• 3 cloves of sliced garlic

• 2/3 chopped celery stalk (I typically use 1/2 but it was going bad and needed to be cooked)

After sauteeing those ingredientns in a pot for 5 minutes with 2 tbsp of olive oil and 3 pinches of sea salt, I added the veggie stock from above and topped it off with water. I also added:

• 3 bay leaves

• 2 tsp of dry parsley

• 1/2 purple sweet potato (the only vegetable I had available, plus we’ve been wanting to add potato to the mix)

• 1 handful of Bob’s Red Mill Soup Mix

I brought all of that to a boil, then let it simmer. After 20 minutes I added 1/2 cup of white cannelloni beans to the pot and let it all simmer for another 25 minutes.

Having soup in the refrigerator has been a nice way to add some variety into my day. Recently I’ve been loving pouring a ladle of soup over some wild cod I pan fried (seen in the dish below). The flakey white fish and broth mesh so well together. It creates such a warming dish that fills you up. Give it a try.

Meal Prep Wednesday

I’ve been doing a lot of my cooking in the morning. I find it therapeutic to start the day that way. My routine recently has been wake up between 5 - 6 am, make coffee, read for 60 - 90 minutes, then walk and feed my dog. Most days I start cooking by 8 - 9 am. This Wednesday I went into the kitchen to make breakfast and before I knew it I had salmon, brussels sprouts, and vegetable soup all going at once.

Wild Sockeye Salmon

Ever since reading The New Fish, which confirmed all of the rumors I’d heard about the poor health of farmed fish and it’s harmful impact on the environment, I’ve been avoiding farmed fish. But finding wild caught fish in Colorado has thus far been a challenge, so I’ve been opting instead for flash frozen wild cod or salmon sold at the grocery store. The quality is fine, but I do hate that it’s wrapped in plastic. I guess nothing is perfect.

I defrosted two 6 oz filets and marinated them in 1 tbsp of olive oil, a generous tbsp of soy sauce, and sprinkled them with 2 pinches of sea salt, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder. I let them sit and marinate as I prepared the rest of the food I was cooking.

After marinating for 10 - 15 minutes I put the filets face down, skin up, on a baking sheet, and cooked them for 9 minutes at 350 degrees. I finished them under the broiler for 90 seconds to crisp the skin. The flavor and texture it gives it makes all the difference.

Vegetable Soup with Homemade Bone Broth

Christmas day was the first time I ever made a whole chicken in the crock pot. I’ve made one every week since. It’s just so easy and delicious. The meat falls right off the bone. In previous weeks I had been discarding the chicken bones and carcass, but listening to EC Synkowski talk about collagen supplementation put the idea in my head that I should make my own collagen supplement. Bone broth.

I also HATE FOOD WASTE. I LOVE the idea of using as much of every animal, vegetable, and fruit you can. So this past week I made my first bone broth in the instant pot. It was so easy. I’ve also been on a soup kick. So with fresh bone broth in the refrigerator I decided to use it to make soup.

For this soup I went with: chopped carrots, celery, red onion, garlic, salt and olive oil, which I cooked for 5 minutes in a pot. Then I added 2 cups of bone broth, 2 cups of water, a handful of sliced white and baby bella mushrooms, sliced tomato, bay leaves, parsley, 1 handful of Bob’s Red Mill Soup Mix, brought it all to a boil, then let it simmer for 20 minutes. Finally I added 1 cup of kidney beans and let everything cook for another 25.

The soup at first came out a little bland, but my girlfriend reminded me that I needed to add salt since we didn’t use store bought broth which contains sodium. Once she added salt we both agreed it was the best batch of soup thus far.

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels are my favorite vegetable. They’re really healthy, they can be cooked lightly or crisped, baked, boiled, or sautéed, and they hold onto a lot of flavor. It’s a rare occasion when there aren’t cooked brussels in my refrigerator. How I cook them varies just slightly every time.

Today, after cutting off the stems and quartering them, I added them to a mixing bowl with 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 pinches of sea salt, onion powder, and 2 slices of red onion cut in half. I tossed all the ingredients together until all of the brussels were evenly coated. Then I spread them evenly on a baking sheet to cook for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

I usually cook everything, brussels included, at 425, but I cooked them a little slower to see what difference it made. It turns out, not that much. But they were delicious. 

Reducing Waste

I really hate wasting food and materials in the kitchen. I try as much as possible to re-purpose ingredients, and re-use plastic bags, tin foil, parchment paper, whenever I can.

I cooked the salmon on tin foil that had been used prior to make roasted brussels sprouts. Tin foil gets tossed away so easily when it really has 2 - 3 good uses out of a single sheet. I was able to use the chicken carcass and bones to make a delicious broth for my soup. I’ve also been keeping my vegetable scraps in a bag in the freezer and using them to make homemade vegetable broth. It’s a trick my mom saw online and sent me.

It’s all part of my commitment to limit waste and re-use. These are small actions, but right now it’s the best I can do. I look forward to the day when we have a garden for compost, and when we can use our coffee grinds to grow mushrooms.

This was my meal prep Wednesday. For the next few days I’ll be all stocked up. All I have to do is open a container and grab a ladle of soup, a handful of brussels, and a filet of salmon, and breakfast, lunch, or dinner is served. It’s about 2 hours of work, but it makes eating healthy a lot easier. Plus, I love being in the kitchen and seeing my refrigerator stocked.

Kidney Bean and Mushroom Soup

A slightly different twist on a soup I’ve come to love. Check out this hearty recipe and keep some soup in your fridge.

Cooking Instructions:

Bring a pot to medium heat. Add 2 tbsp of olive to the pan, and then add 2 chopped carrots, 1/2 chopped celery stalk, 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 2 slices of red onion. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes.

Then add: 2 cups of vegetable broth, 2 cups of water, 4 oz of sliced cremini mushrooms, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp of dry parsley, 2 pinches of sea salt and a few cracks of fresh black pepper. Bring to a boil and then down to a simmer and allow to cook for 20 minutes.

Then add: 1 can of rinsed kidney beans, 1/2 chopped zucchini, 1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes. Allow to cook at a simmer for another 25 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and enjoy!

Chicken Thigh Soup!

Baked chicken thighs over vegetable soup!

Vegetable soup, courtesy of Bob’s Red Mill: Bring a pot to med-high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Chop 2 carrots, 1/2 a cup of celery, a handful of chopped onion and 2 gloves of garlic. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic to the pot. Allow to cook for 5 minutes. 

Add 2 cups water, 2 cups vegetable broth, 1/2 can of crushed tomatoes (6-8 oz), two handfuls of Bobs Red Mill Soup Mix, a few pinches of salt, ground pepper, a sprinkle of dried parsley, and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. 

Chop up a 1/2 a zucchini. Add it to the pot and let cook for another 25 minutes. 

Chicken Thighs: Buy a pack of organic free range chicken thighs (pasture raised is best if you can get it). Preheat the oven to 425. Put the chicken thighs into a Pyrex. Coat them lightly in enough olive oil so they don’t stick to the dish. Add a pinch of salt to each one (each side), and some black pepper. Add a 1/4 cup of water to the dish. Leave them right side up. Cook at 425 for 20 minutes. 

Assemble: Drop one lattle of soup into a bowl. Cut up one or two chicken thighs into bite size pieces and place it over the soup. Add a tbsp of olive oil and 2 pinches of sea salt!

Buon appetito!

Delicious Veggie Soup

Vegetable soup, courtesy of Bob’s Red Mill

• Bring a pot to med-high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Chop 2 carrots, 1/2 a cup of celery, a handful of chopped onion and 2 gloves of garlic. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic to the pot. Allow to cook for 5 minutes. 

• Add 2 cups water, 2 cups vegetable broth, 1/2 can of crushed tomatoes (6-8 oz), two handfuls of Bobs Red Mill Soup Mix, a few pinches of salt, ground pepper, a sprinkle of dried parsley, and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. 

• Chop up a 1/2 a zucchini. Add it to the pot and let cook for another 25 minutes. 

• Serve with a piece of buttered sourdough toast (I used ghee).

  Buon appetito!