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Simple Roasted Vegetable Stock

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Simple Roasted Vegetable Stock

A few months ago, I had a failed veggie stock experiment. It was my first attempt and I’m not sure what went wrong; I think I used too many greens and too few carrots and onions. And maybe too much water? Regardless, it was very disheartening, as I’ve never had a problem making meat-based stocks. It convinced me for a while that vegetable stock should be left to the pros, and I’ve been buying it from Whole Foods ever since.

Recently, though, I wanted to make a soup that just uses a simple broth for the base (recipe coming tomorrow!), and I felt like I couldn’t cop out and use store-bought stuff. If I’m going to use store-bought broth, I at least want it to be hidden, you know? So I gave the ol’ veggie stock another shot, and this time I roasted the vegetables to make sure they would be flavorful enough. Success! If veggie stock should be left to the pros, well, consider me one of them… and you can be, too.

Simple Roasted Vegetable Stock

Making your own stock really isn’t as scary as it sounds, and it’s also cheaper than buying it. And I should point out that it’s much quicker than making chicken stock. Unlike meat-based stocks, simmering vegetable stock for longer does not give it more flavor, so an hour is all you need. And as a bonus, you’ll feel like Martha Stewart as your kitchen fills with the scent of your homemade stock bubbling on the stove. For some reason, this always makes me feel like I really have my life together. Ego boost in a soup pot? Sure, I’ll take it!

Get crackin’ on this homemade vegetable stock so you can be prepared for the soup recipe coming tomorrow!

Simple Roasted Vegetable Stock

Simple Roasted Vegetable Stock
 
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Yields: 3-4 quarts
Ingredients
  • 2 carrots, rinsed and roughly chopped
  • 2 parsnips, rinsed and roughly chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, rinsed and roughly chopped
  • greens of 1 leek, thoroughly cleaned and roughly chopped
  • 2 yellow onions, skins left on, quartered
  • 3 garlic cloves, peels left on
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil (more or less)
  • 1 small bunch parsley
  • 4-5 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400. Place vegetables (carrots through garlic) in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil (I probably used about 2 Tbsp but you can use more or less) and toss to coat. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring about every 10-15 minutes to ensure that nothing burns. If you notice that any of the vegetables are starting to char before the time is up, remove them and continue cooking the rest. Some caramelization is fine, but not charring! The leek greens are especially prone to burn.
  2. Remove from oven and place the vegetables in a large pot with the parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Cover with cold water. (The more water you use, the less concentrated the flavor of your stock will be.) Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. (A few minutes more or less is fine.)
  3. Strain into storage containers. If not using in the next day or two, freeze until ready to use.

 

Butternut, Chickpea and Kale Soup with Tahini Broth

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butternut kale and chickpea soup with tahini broth

Can you believe it’s March?

I’ve started off every month for the past… oh, year or so, with that same question. I think it’s a sign I’m getting old.

But this month, unlike every month in the fall when I know that another month means even colder weather, I’m happy it’s March. March means that, although everything may still be snow-covered, a few warm days will be tossed in here and there. It’s actually been over 50 the past few days! (Don’t be too alarmed; there’s a chance of snow today… now THAT is March for you.) I always look forward to the warm weather because it means summer produce. Strawberries, tomatoes, basil, peaches… and other things that I have probably forgotten about because I haven’t seen them in so long.

But this year, I kind of started to panic when I realized spring was coming. I haven’t cooked enough winter food yet! Blogging will do that to you. I need more time for soup!

butternut kale and chickpea soup with tahini broth

So that was the impetus behind this soup. That, and wanting to make something creative with tahini while Nate was out of town this weekend because, as you may remember, he does not like tahini.  So I made a soup and put tahini in the broth. It’s yummy, and satisfied my soup craving so that I can finally make peace with winter.

The main flavor of this soup comes from the butternut squash, making it slightly sweet. The broth is also spiced; I used coriander, turmeric, and thyme, but you could play around with those. And when it comes down to it, I think the tahini is actually optional (for all you tahini haters out there… I don’t understand you).

I love that this soup is chock full of veggies and flavor. Warming, filling, yummy-tasting… all my favorite qualities in an end-of-winter soup.

butternut kale and chickpea soup with tahini broth

5.0 from 1 reviews
Butternut, Chickpea and Kale Soup with Tahini Broth
 
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Yields: 4-5 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 2 large or 3 small cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
  • pinch of cayenne
  • pinch of dried thyme (optional)
  • 5 cups vegetable broth with no tomatoes (such as Whole Foods 365 Organic)
  • 4 cups diced butternut squash
  • 1 14-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 ½ cups)
  • 1 cup reserved chickpea liquid (or substitute 1 cup vegetable broth)
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 handfuls curly kale, torn into bite-size pieces
  • sprinkle of salt
Instructions
  1. In a soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute about 5-6 minutes. Add celery and saute another 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add bay leaf and all spices and stir to coat. Add the vegetable broth, butternut squash, and chickpeas and bring to a simmer. Simmer 20-25 minutes, until squash is tender.
  3. In a heat-proof measuring cup, microwave the chickpea liquid (or additional vegetable broth) until hot, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tahini until thoroughly combined. Add to the soup along with the lemon juice and kale.
  4. Remove from heat. Salt to taste. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

 

Celery Root Soup

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Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

Do you ever feel like the universe is trying to tell you something… and it’s about food?

Without warning, everywhere you look, you start seeing a certain ingredient. It’s on Facebook. It appears at the grocery store. It shows up on your favorite blogs. Co-workers start mentioning what they’ve made with it. Finally, although you had never even heard of it before a few weeks ago, you decide that you just can’t ignore its presence any longer and have to make a weekend project out of cooking with it.

Does that ever happen to you? No?

Well, it’s exactly what happened with me and this weird-ass root.

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

Just look at this thing. I mean, there’s a reason it’s never made it onto my cutting board before this. Never mind the fact that I didn’t even know it existed.

But based on all the signs the universe has been sending me, the celery root and I are destined to be together.

So finally I went out and bought one. This was quite easy because, as I mentioned, my grocery store is displaying them prominently. But then the question remained: what do you do with this thing?

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

Turns out, you put it in a soup.

Well actually, first you hack it to pieces.

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

But then you put it in a soup. And drizzle it with truffle oil. And dip crusty hunks of bread in it. (Why did I not get some bread for these pictures? Food blogging lesson learned.) And then you get that comfy cozy feeling that comes from being warmed from the inside out.

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

So maybe the celery root and I are destined to be together.

And maybe you two are destined for each other, too. Don’t worry, there’s enough to go around.

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

If you haven’t met this soulmate of a root vegetable yet, let me tell you what to expect. Not surprisingly, it tastes like celery! Well, like that but more flavorful, and maybe a little more peppery. It has a texture close to a potato, but not as starchy. It has the same creaminess, but with an added delicious flavor. Overall, it has everything I could want in a wintertime soup. I liked this much more than any potato leek soup I’ve ever tried, and I can definitely imagine making a vegetable soup or stew with chunks of celery root in it.

So… you and the celery root. Together forever.

Consider this your sign from the universe.

Celery Root Soup | coffeeandquinoa.com

Celery Root Soup

Adapted from David Lebovitz

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter or margarine
 2 Tbsp olive oil
3 leeks, cleaned and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
kosher salt to taste
4 lbs celery root (I used 1 large plus 1 small)
5 cups vegetable stock made without tomatoes, such as Whole Foods 365 (or chicken stock)
2 cups water (reduce to 1 cup for a thicker soup)
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
scant 1/8 tsp chile powder
truffle oil or olive oil for serving (optional)

Instructions:

First of all, peel and chop the celery root. Here is a tutorial from The Kitchn on how to peel a celery root. It’s really not as hard as you think it will be. Once you’ve got that done, you can move on to the next step! My 4 lbs of celery root turned into about 7 cups when chopped.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add leeks and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not let the leeks brown at all; turn down the heat if they start to. Add the garlic cloves and a pinch of salt and continuing sauteing until both the leeks and garlic are soft and translucent, another few minutes.

Add the celery root, vegetable stock, and water. Cover, bring to a boil, and then reduce to what David Lebovitz calls a “strong simmer.” Simmer until the celery root is tender. (A fork should slide easily to the center of a cube when pierced.) This will depend on the size of your cubes, but took me about 25 minutes.

Once celery root is tender, add the pepper and chili powder. Puree using an immersion blender (or in batches in a regular blender) until the soup is smooth with no remaining chunks. Add more salt as desired.

Serve hot with a drizzle of truffle or olive oil and a side of rustic bread.

Enjoy!

Time:

45 minutes to an hour

Asian Noodle Soup To Cure a Cold (Vegan)

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Asian Noodle Soup To Cure a Cold | Coffee & Quinoa

I guess I forgot to knock on wood last week when I said that I had a cold, but wasn’t going to stay home from work.

On Friday morning, I woke up coughing and sneezing all over everything. Gross.

Asian Noodle Soup To Cure a Cold | Coffee & Quinoa

I thought I was done with colds this winter, after fighting one off just before the holidays, but it turns out that was wroooong. And based on my recollection of getting sick right around the Bachelor premier 2 years ago, apparently I get sick at this time every year.

It doesn’t help that it’s been absolutely freezing in Salt Lake for the past week – highs in the teens. Who wouldn’t get sick?

Asian Noodle Soup To Cure a Cold | Coffee & Quinoa

So on Friday morning, instead of going into work, I cuddled up on the couch with my laptop, a box of tissues and a cup of tea.

Tea is good… but soup is better.

Luckily, I also had the ingredients to make this soup.

Soup fixes everything. So I made it and proceeded to eat it for lunch and dinner all weekend.

Asian Noodle Soup To Cure a Cold | Coffee & Quinoa

What is it about soup that makes me feel so much better – nature or nurture? It must be both… warm fragrant broth to warm you up from the inside out and clear the sinuses, plus the recollection of exactly the same sensation every time you’ve been sick since childhood.

Asian Noodle Soup To Cure a Cold | Coffee & Quinoa

Mmmmm… yep, nothing better to cheer you up when you’re sick than hot, noodley soup.

So can I recommend that you make this immediately? If it’s cold where you live, if you’re coming down the the sniffles, if your boyfriend or roommate or co-worker just sneezed… take action and cook up a big pot of (vegan!) soup. And don’t forget the sriracha… or tissues!

Asian Noodle Soup To Cure a Cold | Coffee & Quinoa

4.8 from 4 reviews
Asian Noodle Soup To Cure a Cold (Vegan)
 
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This fragrant vegan soup will warm you to your toes. Recommended for times when you're sick and feeling sorry for yourself.
Author:
Yields: 3-4 bowls of soup
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 heaping Tbsp chopped fresh ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1/2 a jalapeno, seeds removed and thinly sliced
  • 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (preferably one without tomatoes, such as Whole Foods 365 Organic)
  • 3 green onions plus extra for serving, sliced
  • 3 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 3 baby bok choy, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and sliced into very thin coins
  • 7 oz extra-firm tofu, cubed
  • 5 oz soba noodles
  • chopped cilantro, for serving
  • sriracha sauce, for serving
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, heat sesame oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add jalapeno, vegetable broth, and green onions. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes.
  2. While broth is simmering, cook soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. (These are cooked separately to keep your nice broth from getting murky!)
  3. Strain broth into a large bowl. (This step is optional, but I prefer to remove the solids.) Once strained, pour broth back into pot. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, vegetables, and tofu, and simmer until veggies are heated through, 1-2 minutes. Add soba noodles and heat for 1 more minute, until both noodles and broth are hot.
  4. Remove soup from heat and ladle into bowls. Serve alongside sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, and sriracha.
  5. Note: This soup is best eaten immediately, as it won't reheat well once the vegetables and noodles have been added. If you're planning to have leftovers, I recommend saving half the broth just after straining and before adding anything else. For leftovers, you can assemble the bowl of soup just before reheating, which will prevent mushy veggies and noodles.

 

Noodles in Spicy Lemongrass Broth

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noodles in spicy lemongrass broth

Things I want to do before Christmas:

1) Take a week off from work and wander around Whole Foods.

2) Take a week off from work and bake Christmas cookies.

3) Take a week off from work and make Asian soups.

Shoot. I don’t even have enough weeks before Christmas, never mind vacation days. Will someone pay me to do those things? Great.

noodles in spicy lemongrass broth

Well, I may not have started on the Christmas cookies yet (or my Christmas shopping – eek! – which sadly cannot be done at Whole Foods), but I’ve been making my fair share of Asian soups lately because:

1) I just finished Lisa See’s Dreams of Joy, which left me craving Asian food (which is odd because there is a lot of starvation in the book as well as, uhhh, cannibalism).

2) I am fighting off a cold and want to eat ramen noodles all day long. (Why is that? It’s uncontrollable.)

3) OK, three things. Did I mention it looks like this outside?

Fortunately, this soup contains only plants and is healthier (and MUCH spicier) than ramen. You can cut back on the chilies very easily, though, and it will still be plenty flavorful with the lemongrass, ginger, etc.

Basically, you add a bunch of flavorful Asian things to a pot (or Dutch oven if you haven’t done your dishes recently!) with some broth:

noodles in spicy lemongrass broth

And simmer until it looks like this:

noodles in spicy lemongrass broth

Then strain the solids out. Get your bowl ready with noodles, tofu, and veggies!

noodles in spicy lemongrass broth

And then pour in as much broth as you like! I didn’t use much here, as you can see, but you can certainly fill your bowl to the brim.

noodles in spicy lemongrass broth

Then slurp, slurp, slurp!

I love this broth and can’t wait to make it again soon. It’s perfect for that pea soup whether we’ve been having recently, not to mention colds.

Have a great weekend! Next week, Christmas recipes – I promise. Plus an announcement!

noodles in spicy lemongrass broth

Noodles in Spicy Lemongrass Broth

Adapted from Sunset

Serves 3

Time: about 40 minutes

Ingredients:

3 stalks fresh lemongrass (10 to 12 inches long)
1/2 bunch cilantro, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped green onions (including tops)
6 thin slices (quarter size) peeled fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 fresh red Thai chilies, rinsed, stemmed, seeded, and quartered (if you can’t handle spicy food, I recommend cutting the chilies down to 1 or skipping them altogether and serving sriracha sauce alongside the soup)
1/4 tsp ground pepper
5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
4 oz thin rice noodles
7 oz firm tofu, cubed
3 baby bok choy, rinsed and chopped

Instructions:

First, prepare the broth. Rinse the lemongrass and cut off and discard tough tops and root ends. Peel off and discard the coarse outer leaves. With the flat side of a knife, crush the inner lemongrass stalk. Chop cilantro leaves and set aside for garnish. Reserve the stems – these are what you will use in the broth.

In a pot, combine the crushed lemongrass, cilantro stems, 1/4 cup green onions, ginger, chilies, garlic, ground pepper, and vegetable broth. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Pour through a strainer over a large bowl and discard the solids.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Divide noodles between two to three soup bowls. Top with tofu and 1 baby bok choy per bowl. Ladle broth over noodles. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and remaining 1/4 cup green onions.

Enjoy!

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