Soup, stew, or broth that is the question!

A tail about basic ingredients for a healthy vegetable stock

We all enjoy stew in my household. Particularly here in the hills of Cuenca, Ecuador, where it is cooler. (By the way, if you are unfamiliar with the city, you should visit!) Here, it is common practice to sell freshly gathered peas, beans, and even maize, making it very simple to find high-quality ingredients for our stews. And by freshly picked, I mean that you receive the corn in a plastic bag, cut off the cob, sold by the pound. Amazing.

And I began to wonder, "How can I make the most nutritious stew possible?" since I want to make the most of the nutritional value of our meals.

I became interested in Dr. Will Bulsiewicz's recipe for a really nourishing veggie broth after seeing some of his content. He is a gastroenterologist who practices with whole-food plant-based diets. In our instance, I use it as a guide to improve the nutritional value of our stews instead of making a broth.

I discovered the recipe on the website activevegetarian.com. The main components are listed below. Feel free to experiment with the amounts, and don't be concerned if you forget to add something.

1. Mushrooms (i.e. shiitake, cremini, etc.)

2. Seaweed (i.e. kombu, wakame, nori)

3. Carrots

4. Onions, Leek, and Garlic

5. Parsley (if you like it, cilantro)

6. Ginger and Tumeric root

7. Root vegetables (Celery root, parsnip, celery root, turnip, potatoes, and yams)

8. I would add legumes (beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils)

9. Use Celtic salt for seasoning

To get rid of substances that cause gas, make sure to thoroughly rinse the legumes before adding them to the soup (see here for more details on that procedure).

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Ingredients for 7 cups of broth

A list of ingredients for 7 cups could look like this:

• 0.5 gallons or 16 cups filtered water

• 0.5 large onion with skins roughly chopped

• 0.5 garlic bulb (head) smashed

• 0.5 cup mushrooms shiitake or cremini

• 0.5 leek roughly chopped (including tops)

• 1.5 carrots roughly chopped, with skins

• 1.5 parsnips roughly chopped, with skins

• 1 medium potato of any kind roughly chopped

• 0.5 bunch parsley

• 0.5 head celery root roughly chopped

• 0.5 head large turnip roughly chopped

• 0.25 cup seaweed wakame, kombu, or nori

• 2-inch piece of ginger roughly chopped

• 0.5 thumb-sized piece of fresh turmeric roughly chopped, with skins (or 1 tablespoon ground turmeric)

• 5 black peppercorns

• 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

How to make it?

Wash and dry all of the vegetables thoroughly. You do not need to peel any of the vegetables for added nutritional benefits, especially if they are organic, but it is entirely up to you.

Add the water along with the rest of the ingredients to a big pot. Bring to a boil, then slowly simmer for at least 90 minutes with a lid on. Allow the mixture to simmer for up to two hours if you have the time.

Discard the veggies after straining the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer (an alternative is provided below).

Broth can be frozen or kept in the refrigerator for a week in mason jars or other airtight containers.

We frequently have stew and wholegrain bread as a complete supper, so I generally add a lot more vegetables.

But hold on! What about the heading's question? The broth will provide a nutrient-rich foundation for all manner of culinary ventures, so feel free to use it to cook other foods like soups, gravies, and sauces.

We like to eat the vegetables we cooked, therefore stew is our preferred choice!

Enjoy!

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1st page of basic ingredients for vegetable stock

2nd page of basic ingredients for vegetable stock