Homemade Vegetable Stock

We are going to make a lot of soup this winter. A lot. And it is so nice not to have to purchase broth or bouillon or stock (because it is literally a kitchen waste product and you can make it at home with your compost).

So, save your vegetable skins, onion skins, garlic bits, carrot tops, even wilted lettuce: THAT'S RIGHT! EVEN WILTED LETTUCE. I am trying the new tactic of having a tupperware in my fridge that keeps my vegetable compost for a few days until I am ready to make stock.

First step: put all of your vegetable trash in a pot. Since I know I want to use this for a pho recipe that I am making tomorrow, I even put in some wild shit like ginger skins. Be mindful of what you want to make, for example, if you are making a delicate butternut squash soup, I wouldn't put red beet tops in your stock unless you want a pink colored soup. So...be a bit mindful. The no-fail ingredients are carrots, onions, garlic, celery-- in this one you see pictured I also have old cabbage, wilted Napa cabbage and old turnips.

Second step: cover your veggies with water completely!

Third Step: Simmer your submerged veggies for about two hours, covered.

Fourth Step: Drain the veggie chunks out of the stock. (Look how steamy! Mmmmm!)

Congratulations! You now have vegetable stock for any occasion! Let this cool and use it in any recipe that calls for broth! :)

(Tomorrow we will use this particular stock for vegetable pho!)

Homemade Blackbeans

This is a STAPLE PEOPLE :)
I make a batch of beans, usually black beans every week. They cost around $1.79 per pound dry, and then they keep in the fridge for about a week-- not to mention how many uses they have: an arepa topping, taco or enchilada filling, they can go in soups or chili or with eggs for breakfast; the list goes on and on.

For this recipe you will need:

A slowcooker(!!)
4 cups of dry black beans
1 medium onion (diced)
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 tablespoon of cumin
Salt to taste

First, rinse your black beans in a colander and go through them-- sometimes I find little stones and such mixed in, so this is an important step. The last thing you want is to bite into your steaming, delicious slow-cooked black beans and break a tooth. I used to skip this step because I like to go fast, and then OTHER people would bite into little rocks and I would feel so horrible that the guilt and shame alone of being too lazy to take the extra step and possibly cracking my guest's crowns gets me to rinse them each and every time now.

SO DO THAT.

Now, put your rinsed beans and diced onion in your slow cooker and cover with water completely. I usually put double the amount of water in (so 8 cups)

DO NOT PUT ANY SALT IN AT THIS POINT. NONE. ZERO. ABSOLUTELY NO SALT. It will keep your beans from getting soft; no one likes crunchy beans.

SLOW COOK.
I cook them (covered*) on low for 8-10 hours, stirring every couple of hours and checking the water level. You are going to have the opportunity to drain them before you use them in any recipe so you can't over-water them while they are slow-cooking...

About an hour before the slow cook cycle is up (say at hour 9) and maybe you have an intention to eat them inside of a taco or something, at this point I stir in the cumin, minced garlic and I salt it to my liking.

DELICIOUS.

Eat them hot and seasoned...

Or drain off 90% the liquid, put them on the stove on medium low heat and mash with chili, cumin, garlic, salt and a hint of lime for "refried beans."

...or let them cool and put them in the fridge in a sealed container until you are ready to use them in another amazing and delicious dish!

Stocking Your Pantry

Dear Sisters,

I am creating this blog so that both of you may be inspired to create more food in your home for yourselves and hubbies. I cook for AJ so often and somehow keep him satisfied with a variety of delicious things without that much effort on my part or that much money spent. We are mostly vegetarian at home, which helps with costs, but we also maximize organic vegetables that are in season, whole grains, and jam-pack exciting flavors and texture. This blog is going to follow what we have for dinner (and other meals) as much as possible so there will be a range of mostly vegetarian, gluten free meals with the occasional meaty or vegan-y meal as well.


I would say that **the most important part of guaranteeing simple, fast, delicious dinner starts with what is in your cupboards.

I always have in dry storage:

Olive oil
Coconut oil
Grapeseed oil
Balsamic vinegar
Rice vinegar
Red Wine vinegar
Sesame oil

Dry: Lentils, black beans, (etc. beans) long grain rice, short grain rice, quinoa, polenta, oats

Masa arepa
Flour (a variety including wheat, all purpose gluten-free, rice flour)

Sugar
Brown sugar
Honey
Dried fruit(s)
Maple syrup

Vanilla extract


Onions, potatoes, garlic (and sometimes yams)

Coconut Milk
Broth
Canned Tomato paste and whole peeled tomatoes

Almond butter and/or peanut butter

Tamari

Tahini

Hot sauce(s)

Dijon mustard

Rice noodles
Bean threads
GF pasta

Refrigerated things: Almond milk, lemons, limes, carrots, eggs, butter, cheese, tortillas

Spices (in descending order of necessity): Pink salt, other flavored salts, pepper, cumin, whole cumin seed, marjoram, basil, dill seed, oregano, cayenne, whole chiles, cinnamon, turmeric, a variety of curries and garam masala, clove, thyme, dill, coriander, nutmeg etc.

**I try to always use fresh herbs when possible, they taste better, but having salt, pepper, cumin and some other aromatics will make all of the difference in the flavor-power of your kitchen!


If you do your best to keep these basics in your pantry all of the time, I promise you you're never going to go hungry or spend another night eating a whole bag of Goldfish ever again.