When you have to be extremely mindful of what you are putting into your body, it’s rather entertaining being that one person in the grocery aisle for a good five minutes, making sure you have read the labels properly, understanding each ingredient and whether or not it is allowed on your particular eating plan. Even to the point where you have to look up it on your phone to simply remind yourself, “Wait a minute, can I eat that?!” For me, I am constantly scanning for sugar.
It’s not that I am looking at the grams of sugar in a particular food but rather whether or not it is in the ingredients. If it is, I typically put it down and search for something that is without. It’s a weird life now not indulging in sugar the way I used to. Heck, look in the archives of Fork & Beans and you will see that I was ALL about the white stuff. Shoot, if I didn’t struggle with Candida, I am pretty sure I would still be hooked so there is absolutely no judgments to anyone who still loves sugar. All I can say is that how I feel now vs. how I felt when I was eating more sugar, more processed foods, and alcohol is a night and day difference.
I am now at the point where I can feel confident when I go out to eat but I am just so thankful that I no longer have to be so strict with my diet! Hallelujer. I am starting to have more fruit now and SMOOTHIES. Ohmygosh, I have never been so happy to have a smoothie. Come to think of it, I have never been happy to have a smoothie…until recently!! It feels so good to know what balance feels like and I am constantly creating new recipes at home to keep me satiated and satisfied with my diet and this new lifestyle change. I honestly get so energized by making things from scratch and creating homemade food that is good for my body that I have to stop myself at times to go look at myself in the mirror just to make sure some alien hasn’t snatched up my body with an impostor.
I have never made Homemade Vegetable Broth before but always wanted to and when I bought a celery root at the farmer’s market, I thought, what a great way to use it. In fact, I have never tried, eaten or cooked with celery root prior to this and now I am hooked. (You can read more about celery root and what’s in season here). I don’t think I will ever buy veggie broth at the store again (unless I run out and don’t have time, let’s be real) because the homemade version is so much more flavorful and complements cooking grains so well (or whatever you are using it with). Oh and it’s so easy too! Seriously, this is how I figured out how to make veggie broth: I read the label of one of my favorite brand of vegetable broth, gathered the ingredients from my kitchen and just threw it into a pot, crossed my fingers and then watched what happened. Broth is what happened.
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Homemade Vegetable Broth
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1/4–1/2 tsp. sea salt (based off of preference)
- 1 small celery root (approx. 1 cup, peeled and chopped)
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 1 large bunch of parsley
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 12 c. water
Instructions
- Make sure that all of your veggies are uniformly chopped but not too small. About 1″ cubes is best.
- In a large pot over medium high heat, saute the onions until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add the garlic and sea salt and cook another 30 seconds.
- Add the rest of the ingredients into the pot and bring to a boil. If you want to add a bay leaf or 2, fresh herbs of choice, or even leafy greens, do so now. Bring the broth to a boil. Stir gently once and then be prepared to leave it alone for the duration of the cooking time.
- Allow to simmer on low heat for approx. 1 hour. Here is the best part: The longer you simmer the broth, the more the liquid burns off and becomes more concentrated in flavor. This is where you decide what you like. If the broth has cooked off too much for your liking, you can always add more water at the time. Easy!
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer and keep in an air-tight container. Allow to cool down and then refrigerate.
Notes
This will keep in your fridge for up to two weeks. Be sure to shake it up before you use it.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 30
- Sugar: 1.9g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 0.5g
This recipe is fool-proof really with so many places you can go with it! Yes, it has a great base of seven ingredients but you can always add more or take away. Do what you want! Add a sprinkle of black peppercorns, 1-2 bay leaves, add some leafy greens, fresh herbs, or even more root veggies, blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda (Seinfeld reference happening currently). Do as you see fit, you heard me? Have fun with your own creation of homemade vegetable broth. Grandma isn’t watching your back to make sure you follow the recipe precisely (or maybe she is and if so, Hi Gramms!) Regardless, go and experiment.
Thank you cara,
I will definitely going to try your broth. ?
Also I was wondering where can I buy a jar like the one showing in the picture?
Thank you shirin ?
I got mine at the Container Store 😉
I have been making my own broth for years. Sometimes I add a spoonful or so of my own homemade vegan chicken style seasoning…instant “chicken” broth.
I also put leftover broth in ice cubes trays freeze then put in Ziploc bags. Each cube is about 1 tablespoon of broth.
Someone was asking about what to do the the veg. After the broth is made. If I’m not using peels and such. I remove them from the broth season and serve hot. My husband said it reminded him of the veg his mother served with pot roast when he was a kid.
silly question but what do you do with the veges after?
I usually use the cuttings from vegetables I have used over time. I put them in a ziplock freezer bag and wait until you have enough for a pot.
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Oh, I absolutely love that Felecia, great idea!
Love this recipe Cara! I am totally doing this one afternoon, and soaking in the fragrant aroma all day long as it simmers. And I am in love with the photos, you made simple veggie broth look stunning.
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Homemade vegetable broth is the best! You have to love using a handful of random veg to make something so easy and so worth it. I usually make big batches and freeze it in 2-cup containers for future soup endeavors.
Amen to that, Eileen! Plus, I love your idea for freezing. I need to make more of it so I can save some for later in the freezer now, thanks for the inspiration.
Lovely picture Cara!! VB is one of those things I always intend on making, but always buy because it makes things easier, especially because i need it right away! But you are inspiring me to make some =)
Why thank you so much Anjali! Can’t wait to see what you come up with…
Thanks so much for this recipe. I make it all the time. We live in a little Mexican town. no celery root here. Use celery leaves and stalks. Delicious. and so easy to prepare.
Best for me, salt-free!
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I’ve never made homemade veggie broth before but I’m really getting sick of the flavor of the same store bought broth I normally use, plus it’s expensive! Never knew what to do with celery root but now I have a reason to pick some up at the farmer’s market on Saturday!
Ah ha, it’s time to make your very own at home Nicole! 😉
You read my mind! I was cooking with veggie broth last night and thought to myself “hmm I could totally start making this.” I’m a nerd and like to make as many things homemade as possible. Definitely trying this! I just loaded up on mason jars for food storage too!
Cue “The Twilight Zone” eerie music. I should start a job as a psychic now 🙂 ha
This looks great! Do you know it’s possible to can this recipe ao it would have a longer shelf life?
That is an interesting concept, Julia! I am not too familiar with canning so I cannot properly answer this but I have heard of people putting their broth into ice cube trays and freezing it. That might even be easier!
Applause, Applause. Everything tastes SO much better homemade. This is why every woman needs a wife.
Haha, will you be my bride?
Natch. <3
What does Natch mean???
You are such a goof. Slang for naturally. What? Doesn’t everyone watch movies from the 1930’s and 1940’s? Anyone? Fine then, I’ll just be odd on my own, thank you very much. xoxo
I normally buy organic veggie broth, but I just have to try to make my own!! Who knew it was this easy!! Thanks for sharing!
I am the same way, Sam! But now converted after realizing how easy it is 🙂
Making veggie broth at home has been on my to-do list for a while. I have been making soups at home but using storebought veggie broth as the base. I was just lamenting the other day about how expensive it is. After all, it is just veggies & water! I think it is the most expensive ingredient in my soups! Thanks for the inspiration to try to do this at home. I am always thinking that I don’t have time and cutting corners to simplify things, but I really do want to try this! Also is the issue of where to store it? I only have one fridge/freezer and it is always full 🙁 I really want another one for stuff like this!
Well it now sounds like the Universe it nudging you to make homemade veggie broth! And it also sounds like you DO need another fridge 🙂
This sounds delicious. I make my own broth and then freeze. Ice cube trays and in bags for large quantities. Nothing like homemade. Susan
Love that tip, Susan! Thank you so much for sharing…xo
I LOVE this! Broth is something so many people think is scary or impossible to make, but you’ve shown that it really is a simple process that’s well worth the time 😀 Beautiful post, Cara! <3
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It’s funny how once you start getting more involved in the kitchen how LESS scary everything seems and how cooking really is simple, isn’t it? Thanks for the awesome comment, friend! xo
Homemade vegetable broth is the best!!! The smell while it is cooking is SO intoxicating too. I love making it on my slow cooker…then it doubles as a savory potpourri for my home for 6-8 hours. Ha!
You know, I was just thinking about the possibilities of making this in the slow cooker! I love that idea–especially on those cold days where not only does your house smell like veggies but you know in a couple of hours you will have a hearty soup waiting for you 🙂