Broccoli Cheese Soup with Bone Broth

Broccoli Cheese Soup with Bone Broth:

Ingredients:

·      1-2 heads of fresh broccoli

·      1 medium onion, diced

·      3 cups low fat milk (or unsweetened milk alternative)

·      2 cups heavy cream (or unsweetened coconut milk in the can)

·      3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese alternative)

·      1 stick butter (or 1 cup of vegetable oil)

·      2 cups bone broth

·      ½ cup flour (or gluten free flour)

·      1 tsp black pepper

·      1 tsp nutmeg

·      ½ tsp salt

Making the soup:

1.    Heat your dutch oven (or skillet) to medium and melt butter. Sautee onion until it begins to turn golden.

2.    Add flour and stir, cooking until flour begins to turn golden

3.    If using dutch oven, pour in milk, cream and bone broth. If using skillet, transfer onions to stock pot first before adding liquids. Bring to a boil.

4.    Turn the pot down to medium-low and mix in spices.

5.    Chop broccoli into bite-sized pieces, add to pot. Stir in thoroughly, cover and allow to cook for 20 minutes.

6.    Remove pot from heat and spoon the chunky broccoli soup into a blender, blend long enough to make it more of a puree.

7.    Return the puree to the pot, bring to a boil. Mix in the 3 cups of shredded cheese and return to medium-low heat for another 20 minutes, mostly covered. (fully covered might boil over)

8.    Serve in a bread-bowl, or with salad and garlic bread.

I went the extra mile and picked the bones out of the strained contents of my bone broth batch, leaving behind the soft carrots, celery and onions. I boiled the soft vegetables with the broccoli and pureed it all together in the blende

90 Minute Split Pea-Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of dry lentils
• 1 Cup of dry split peas
• 6 cups of water or preferred broth
• 1 1/2 tsps of salt (for unsalted liquid)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsps of celery seed
• 1 tsp of fresh minced garlic
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 1 medium (or 2 small) onions, diced or sliced short
• 2 - 3 Tbs of olive oil (for creaminess)
• 1/2 bag of baby spinach leaves...to be added 15 minutes before serving
• 1/3 cup red wine 
• 1 package of sliced white mushrooms

Making the soup:

*Lentils and peas don't require pre-soaking like other beans

1. In a large stock pot, add in lentils, peas and six cups of broth or water. Bring to boil.
2. Turn pot down to a simmer setting (a 1 or a 2), simmer with lid on for 30 minutes.
3. Check fluid level. There should still be at least 1/2 an inch of liquid above the beans. Add one cup of water if needed.
4. Return beans to a boil, add in onions, salt, bay leaves, celery seed, garlic, thyme and olive oil. Reduce to low and cover again for another 30 minutes.
5. Check fluid levels one more time, add another 1/2 cup of water if needed. Return soup to a boil for a third time, add in mushrooms, spinach and wine. Reduce to low and cover, simmer for another 30 minutes.
6. Serve over rice or with pita slices. 

Bone Broth: Beef

Bone Broth- Beef

Ingredients:

·      Two packs of marrow bones

·      One pack of oxtails

·      Water

·      Apple cider vinegar

·      Diced garlic

·      Chopped onion

·      Two-three carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces

·      Two celery sticks chopped into 1 inch pieces

·      Peppercorns or ground pepper

·      Bay leaves

·      Salt

Bone Prep

1.    Blanch the bones by placing them in a large pot and covering with 1 inch of water, bring to a boil, turn down to med-low and cover for 20 minutes.

2.    Cook the oxtails in a separate, smaller pot. Also cover with water and bring to a boil, turn down to med-low but allow to simmer for closer to 45 minutes

3.    Transfer only the marrow bones to a large baking sheet and roast in the oven at 450* for 30-40 minutes or until the meat in and on them is very dark brown.

Making the broth

*This many bones will require either a large sized crock pot or two regular sized ones. You can make the broth with just one pack of marrow bones and fit it all into the small crock pot with the oxtails.

1.    Place bones in crock pot(s) and place the meaty oxtail on top. You can also pick the meat off now if you’d like.

2.    Fill crock pot with water. A small pot should hold 8 cups, a larger crock pot might hold 16. Add in 2tbsp of apple cider vinegar per 8 cups.

3.    Drop in garlic, onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns and ½ tsp of salt. Turn the crock pot to low.

4.    Allow the crock pot to cook for at least 12 hours  

Storing the broth

1.    Turn off crock pots and pour the contents through a strainer into a stock pot.

2.    Place a few dozen ice cubes in the pot to cool the broth down quickly.

3.    Skim the fatty parts off the surface or strain through a fat separator.

4.    Pour the broth into mason jars or sealed plastic storage containers.

5.    Freeze or keep and consume in 5 days or less.

PROS for this method

·      A very rich broth with a savory flavor that would be great in many thick soups and stews

Cons for this method

·      Marrow bones create more oil and fat than poultry bones

·      This process is more time consuming using raw bones because they have to be cooked first.

Coming next month: Bone broth made with chicken bones

Dutch Oven Chicken Primavera

Dutch Oven Chicken Primavera

Ingredients

·      One pack of bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs (but you can use BL/SL thighs as well)

·      Salt and pepper

·      Vegetable oil or butter

·      One diced tomato

·      Diced garlic

·      Fresh Spinach

·      1 cup heavy cream

·      1 cup grated parmesan cheese

The Chicken

1.    heat dutch oven on a burner to med/high heat, melt butter or add oil to the bottom. Make sure it covers the whole bottom at least ¼ of an inch.

2.    Rub down chicken with salt and pepper

3.    Place chicken in pan and flip every few minutes until it is golden-brown like fried chicken

4.    Remove and put it on a plate

Pre-heat oven to 350*

The sauce

1.    In the leftover chicken-butter combo, sautee garlic on medium for 2-3 minutes until it starts to turn golden.

2.    Add Sautee raw tomato for 3-4 minutes

3.    Pour in the cup of heavy cream, stir it around.

4.    Pour in the grated cheese, stir

5.    Pour in the spinach, stir

6.    As it bubbles, add the chicken back in.

7.    Stir it around in the bubbling white sauce and coat it. Remove from heat.

Place COVERED dutch oven in pre-heated oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!