Haute Noms: Roasted Vegetable Stock

Well, I’ve decided to change my tried-and-true chicken stock recipe to a roasted veggie one. It was a tough decision, but we sat down as a family, and talked our way through it. After much discussion, and a few tears……just kidding. None of those things happened. I didn’t even ask Ninja if he cared. Which he won’t. Because it’s SOUP.

Anyway, here’s my reasoning:

What it looks like approximately 12 seconds after having been thrown into the pot…

(A) Benjamin has switched to an almost entirely vegetarian/low-sodium diet, and I of course support his health-conscious decision

(B) If I have a lick of sense in my head, I’ll follow his lead. Because obvious.

(C) The baby will appreciate our good sense, and healthy choices, when it comes to my providing him with the growing fuel

(D) It’s a minimum of $5 savings per 3 quarts of stock, and $5 can go a long way for us these days

(E) Veggies don’t try to kill you if you get stuck in traffic on the way home and the car gets hot. Chickens most definitely will. They’re spiteful when not refrigerated.

(F) I feel sad about the current plight of chickens as a whole. I try to buy free-range, organically fed, non-hormone tainted, “certified humane” chickens/eggs, if at all possible. But alas, those little guys get expensive, and Benjamin and I just don’t have the funds to continue to buy the happier chickens. And I can’t bring myself to accept the alternative.

(G) I have a deep, paralyzing fear of nasty preservatives, added hormones, pesticides, processed/artificial weirdness, and GMO’s in general; and it is infinitely easier to find non-jacked-with veggies at an affordable price than it is to find chickens. That’s a fact.

Thus, today brings us the creation of “Veggie Stock Mark 1” my friends- I have no idea how it’s going to turn out, but here’s what I did (btw, all veggies were super well washed ahead of time because of the produce parasite attacking North Texas – be safe with your produce guys!!):

Things you Need:

• 2 large onions, quartered and peeled
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2-3 stalks celery, cut into chunks
• 2 potatoes, cut into chunks
• 1/4c Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
  

  With any luck, I’ll get this gorgeous deep brown on the finished product, like Soup Chick® did when she used her slow cooker. Her recipe’s different than mine too, so click the pic to pay her a visit and check out her approach to Roasted Stock…

• 1 tbsp Sea Salt
• 10 Peppercorns
• 1 tbsp-ish Thyme
• 1-2 tsp Dried Parsley
• 1 tsp Bragg’s Organic Sprinkle (Salt-Free/24 Herbs and Spices)
• 3 quarts Water + 1 cup

Things to Do:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees
2. Wash, peel and chop your veggies while you wait
3. When the oven’s preheated, throw them in an oven-safe pan for roasting, and spray/coat them liberally with olive oil
4. Set the timer for 45 minutes
5. Dig out your slow-cooker and plug it in (I always forget the latter, so I’m offering a friendly reminder that will save you from the frustration fits) You don’t need to turn it on just yet though…
6. Pour 1c Water, Bragg’s Amino Acids, and seasonings in the bottom and swish them around a bit
7. Put the lid on the slow-cooker and hang out until the veggies are finished roasting
8. When they’re finished, carefully transfer roasted veggies from the pan to the slow cooker. Cover with 3 quarts water. Turn slow cooker on low heat. Let that bad boy cook overnight.

That’s all I’ve got for now folks….we’ll see how it goes tomorrow to determine whether we need any added seasoning, or if my Mark 1 recipe needs to be scrapped in its entirety…

If all goes well, however, there’s some vegetarian Pho in my future that I am craving like nobody’s business!!

XOXO

~ J ~