Gut Healing Root Vegetable Broth
“Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Food”
Growing up I recall the smell of my mother cooking homemade chicken vegetable soup from scratch! The taste and flavor was amazing and I felt like it was healing my insides every time I ate it. Little did I realize then….I was!
Broths have been a staple in our lives for thousands of years. Until about 100 years ago, we used broths for just about everything; soups, gravies, stews, reductions, and sauces. Sadly, we stopped, and the “era of convenience” took hold.
MSG came along and gave us a quick, artificial way to add that rich flavor into our food. Broths were packaged for quick use, bouillon cubes for extra flavor, and the slow art (and healing power) of broths started to fade away.
The nutrient power of broths for immune health, brain health, digestive health and joint health (not to mention skin and nails) is truly amazing. That’s what prompted me to finally start practicing the art of “broth making” myself! Vegetable broths are wonderfully mineralizing and alkalizing.
Just last week I had a bunch of veggies about to go bad that I just couldn’t let go to waste, so I chopped them up (added a few extra from this recipe) and created a broth. One taste and I quickly realized this will become a regular habit. (Not to mention the amazing smell it created in my home, especially with the fresh parsley I had picked from my organic Earth Boxes!)
ou can be really creative with your broths. My basic go-to’s are carrots, onion, celery, parsley, sweet potato, and thyme – but you can create your own. Let the broth simmer for 2 to 4 hours, strain and freeze, and you will have veggie broth for months.
My personal favorite method is to use my emulsion blender and puree! Especially with the sweet potatoes – you get an amazing, creamy consistency!
So SPRING into action this season and start experimenting with broths and immune-boosting soups! Keep it basic or go all out with this Gut Healing Root Vegetable Broth.
Enjoy!
I would love to hear about your favorite recipes or your experience. Leave a comment or send me a note!
~ Julie
- 3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
- 3-4 stalks of celery, quartered
- 5-8 whole shiitake mushrooms, trimmed
- 2 parsnips, peeled and but into thirds
- 1 medium beet, trimmed and cut in half
- 2 small sweet potatoes with skins on, cut into thirds
- ½ of a large bunch of flat-leaf parsley
- 1 8" strip of kombu
- 1 tablespoon shredded burdock root, optional
- 1 piece (1") fresh ginger, sliced, optional
- Rinse the vegetables well, including the kombu (if using).
- In a 8-10-quart pot, combine all ingredients.
- Fill the pot with filtered water until it covers the veggies well.
- Bring to a boil. Remove the lid, decrease the heat to low, and simmer for at least 1-2 hours (or more).
- Add more water if the vegetables begin to peek out.
- Strain the stock using a large course-mesh strainer.
- Save the vegetables for another use (you can puree and freeze in ice cube trays to add to sauces or other soups) OR you can serve with the broth.
- Cool to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing.
- If you prefer a creamier gut-healing vegetable broth, you can take an immersion blender and puree all ingredients together.
