Soups and Stews

Easy Bone Broth

Prep Time: 5 - 10 mins

Cook Time: 12 hours OR overnight

• Bones leftover from turkey, chicken, pork, or beef
• Leftover vegetable scraps (ends from celery, onions-skin on is fine, peels)
• enough water to cover
• Salt and Pepper (optional)

1. Using a crock pot or slowcooker, add the bones and vegi scraps to the container.
2. Add enough water to cover.
3. Place the cooker on the low setting for a minimum of 12 hours. We usually make ours at the end of the evening and let it cook over night.
4. Strain the broth using a strainer or sieve  A strainer seems to work better since there are a lot of "bits" that tend to get caught by a finer mesh. 
5. Store it in containers until you need it! Freezes VERY well!

We usually get a second batch of broth after the first batch is done by snapping the bones and exposing the marrow. It's not as thick as the first batch, but is still very tasty and nutritious! Generally, we don't find a need to season the broth at all. 

Organic Kale, Lentil, and Carrot Soup

Prep Time: 6 hours (lentil soaking) + 20 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

• 2-3 cloves of  organic garlic, finely chopped or pressed
• 1 medium organic yellow onion, chopped
• large bunch (or two) of organic kale, washed
• cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• 6oz organic lentils/about 1 cup, soaked 6+ hours 
• 6 cups of homemade bone broth (chicken, turkey, OR vegi) - see "Easy Bone Broth" for a recipe
• 1-2 organic carrots, washed and either julienned OR shredded
• sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Add olive oil to a large stock pan over medium heat. I don't usually measure my olive oil, but I added approximately 1 TBSP. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic and onion. Saute until onions are translucent.
2. Meanwhile, tear the kale from the stalks and either chop into approx. 1" pieces, or tear. Add the kale to the pot with the cooking onion and garlic. Saute until the greens are bright in color and beginning to wilt. Add salt and pepper. 
3. Wash and rinse the lentils, picking out any foreign objects and hulls. The washing process is the same as washing rice. Once clean, add the lentils to the pot and stir.
4. Add the stock and carrots. Stir to combine.

Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for approx. 20-30 mins. Depending on how "toothy" you prefer your lentils to be, it may take less cooking time.

Enjoy!*

*Credit for this recipe goes to my Aunt Jenn! It's so delicious and has definitely become a go-to recipe for comfort food on a cold, blustery day. An added bonus: kale is high in iron as well as other important vitamins and has been found to be a cancer risk reducing food. This is a great way to make sure you're getting enough in your diet!  

Borscht

This dish may be made vegetarian by using vegi stock in place of meat stock. It may also be made vegan by replacing the sour cream/kefir with a soy version. 

Prep Time: 15 - 20 mins

Cook Time: 35 - 45 mins

• 1-2 beets, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, chopped 
• 1 large turnip, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalk of celery, chopped
• 2 parsnips, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 head of medium cabbage, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• sour cream, plain yogurt, or kefir (or sour cream replacement)
• 6-8 cups of "Easy Bone Broth", or vegi broth
• olive oil

1. Add olive oil to a large stock pot and turn burner to a medium heat. You want enough olive oil to saute the vegetables. I never measure it out, but I would say I use approx. 1 TBSP or slightly more. Once the oil is hot, add all of the vegetables and saute for about 10 minutes or until the onions become opaque. 
2. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender. I've found that this usually takes approx. 20-30 mins and depends on how small you chop the vegetables. The Borscht will take on a reddish-pink hue because of the beets, which I find to be absolutely beautiful!
3. When serving, add a dollop of sour cream to each bowl or a drizzle of kefir or plain yogurt. You may skip this part, but it really adds even more depth to a very flavorful dish.

ENJOY!

NOTE: This dish may be made with any variations on vegetables. If you don't have all of the ingredients listed above, don't worry. You can still make it, as long as you have beets and stock. I hope you enjoy making and eating this dish as much as my family and me! We make this at least once a month during cold weather seasons.

Spicy Lentil Sweet Potato Soup

Prep Time: 6 hours (lentil soaking) + 15 mins

Cook Time: 25 - 30 mins

• 2 - 3 medium sweet potatoes, cubed (skins on or off - your choice
• 1 medium onion
• 1 - 2 red skin potatoes (optional)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 cup turkey, cooked and cubed or shredded
• 1/2 cup french lentils (long-soaked at 6+ hours)
• 5 cups turkey stock 
• several dashes of cumin
• large pinch tsp herbs de provence
• small pinch oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil

1. Saute the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic in the olive oil till the onion is transparent. 
2. Add the sweet potatoes, red skin potatoes, and turkey as well as all of the spices and saute for 5 min. 
3. Add the stock and lentils then bring to a roaring boil. Turn down to med low heat and simmer for 10 min or until thickened to your liking. Enjoy!

Lentil Chili

Prep Time: 6 hours (lentil soaking) + 15 mins

Cook Time: Approx 30 mins

• 1/2 cup of each french, red and green lentils (long-soaked at 6+ hours)
• 2, 6oz cans of tomato paste
• 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 lb of fresh ground turkey or turkey sausage (removed from casing) 
• 1 med onion, chopped
• several dashes of cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried cilantro
• 6 cups water
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (chili powder, dried red pepper, paprika, dehydrated onion)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute the onion in the olive oil with the cumin until transparent.
2. Add ground turkey or turkey sausage and cook through along with the oregano, cilantro, salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Add the tomato paste and diced tomatoes and stir until combined. 
3. Add the soaked lentils and water.
4. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Let the chili continue to cook until it's to a thickness of your liking. Enjoy!