This veggie broth recipe (Jessica in the Kitchen) is not just easy to make and delicious, but makes use of all your veggie scraps, to stop food waste and save money. This recipe uses celery, carrots, red onion, garlic, thyme, parsley and frozen veggie scraps, plus filtered water. You can add optional mushrooms, bell peppers, salt, peppercorns and liquid aminos, but the chef suggest not to use broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels or kale, as they would make your both too bitter (also omit potatoes that would make it too cloudy). Strain the broth over a large bowl, discard the solids and divide into containers to store.
To sterilise, put jars, lids and rubber seals on hot dishwasher cycle (fill with hot broth while warm). Or wash in hot soapy water, then ‘cook’ in pre-heated oven (to 160 degrees C) for 15 minutes (again fill with hot broth while still warm).
Keep recipes away from pets, as many ‘human foods’ in recipes (including garlic, onion, salt and mushrooms) are are unsafe. Read more on keeping people & pets safe in the kitchen.
Stock and gravy cubes are sold in their millions, but it’s pretty easy to make your own, and often from leftover veggies, so zero waste too. This homemade vegetable broth (Heartful Table) is a simple mix of onion, garlic, carrot, celery stick, fresh herbs, peppercorns, parsnip, miso and seaweed (not for thyroid issues).
This homemade Bouillon Powder (Shane & Simple) is simple to make to add flavour to soups and stews. Or try his 1-ingredient veggie broth.
where to buy good veggie stock
If you prefer ready-made, 9 Meals from Anarchy makes good veg stocks, founded by three guys in Cheshire who ran an organic veg box scheme, and locals kept asking to recommend a good stock. So they made one instead. This is available in various flavours and packed with veggies.
Why some top chefs recommend the best-selling stock cubes is anyone’s guess, because the ingredients don’t sound up to much. One major brand includes ‘vegetable fat, chicken meat and fat, hydrolysed vegetable protein (if you don’t know what it is, you shouldn’t be eating it), sodium insoinate and guanylate and permitted flavourings (eggs – and what?)
the myth that ‘bone broth’ is good
This is just another influencer-type myth. You can get all the same nutrients from plants. Amy at Wallflower Kitchen has created a good ‘vegan bone broth’ and has an excellent article on why her broth is just as good. Or try these 3 simple recipes.
Just like beauty gurus selling collagen for skin, we make our own collagen, so don’t need to eat it or put it on our faces from cows. If you want to heal your stomach, eat proper food and include healthy fats. Her recipe uses shiitake mushrooms (good for inflammation) and wakame seaweed (not for thyroid issues or certain medical conditions) plus turmeric (an anti-inflammatory spice).
