My pal Lee recently posted about making her own vegetable stock. I immediately started storing veggie scraps in a bag in the freezer.
In just a few days my bag was stuffed with carrot ends; onion scraps and peel; cucumber and zucchini peel and pieces leftover after spiralizing them; half an orange bell pepper that was ready to turn; an entire jalapeno also ready to turn; the big stem from a bunch of broccoli + a few broccoli florets; kale stems and a few leftover leaves.
I tossed all of the frozen veggies into the crock pot, with a little olive oil. I added half an onion, chopped; 3 cloves of garlic, diced; 4 sprigs of dry thyme (that I dehydrated); iodized sea salt; black pepper corns; two bay leaves.
I poured filtered water over the veggies, until they were just covered, and turned the crock pot to low. After a few hours I pulled out the jalapeno and sliced it up and tossed it back in, seeds and all.
There was a lot of chatter on my Facebook page with suggestions and ideas about making vegetable stock and I’m so glad! I had planned to let the stock simmer for eight hours but then read several warnings about using cabbage family (broccoli) veggies in a stock–some warned that it could be bitter and/or become the overpowering flavor–so I stopped cooking the stock at six hours.
I poured the stock and veggies into a large bowl through a cheese cloth. I squeezed the excess broth out of the veggies through the cloth and tossed the veggies (you can compost them).
Look at that colorful stock! I gallon bag of frozen vegetables = 8 cups of delicious vegetable stock!
It was incredibly flavorful and it definitely had a kick from the jalapeno. Perfect for a chili. I started dreaming up a recipe for my first chili made out of my very own homemade vegetable stock. Simultaneously I was reading blogs and the January Iron Chef Challenge blog post from Vegan MoFo popped up in my reader. This month’s secret ingredient: squash! So I added squash to the chili recipe I was creating.
Kale-Lentil-Squash Chili
Ingredients (Make 6 cups)
- 1 T avocado oil
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup green pepper, diced
- 3 cups butternut squash, diced (into 1/2 inch cubes)
- 1.5 t cumin
- 1 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 2.5 – 3 cups vegetable stock/broth
- 3 handfuls kale (I used mixed kale), cut into bite size pieces
- Fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat avocado in an uncovered pressure cooker.
- Add onion, garlic and green pepper and saute for a few minutes.
- Add squash and cumin, stir and saute for 3 – 5 minutes.
- Stir in lentils and tomatoes.
- Add vegetable stock, enough to cover everything, then a bit more.
- Toss kale into the pressure cooker, lock the lid in place and bring to pressure.
- Cook at pressure for 8 – 10 minutes.
- Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let pressure release naturally.
- Once pressure is released, remove the pressure cooker lid, away from you.
- Return the uncovered pressure cooker back to heat, on simmer.
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the chili (I used the juice of half a lemon), stir and simmer for a few minutes.
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste.
I love this chili! I always finish up my soups and stews in the pressure cooker with lemon or lime juice. I often find that with that fresh acidity, I don’t need much salt. That was the case with this chili, most likely because of the added salt to the vegetable stock. Speaking of that, here are a few recipe notes:
- Note that the only added spice I used was cumin. Remember, my vegetable stock has some real zip to it. If you’re using store-bought stock/broth, and or a homemade without jalapeno, you’ll want to add some zip to your chili–consider chili powder, Sriracha or jalapeno.
- I lightly salted my homemade vegetable stock so I did not need to add much salt. Your mileage may vary.
- I used black peppercorns in the homemade vegetable stock so I did not need to add much ground black pepper.
- I used bay leaf in my stock — if you’re using store-bought broth/stock, add one or two leaves to the chili.
I am so glad that I have discovered how easy it is to make my own vegetable stock! Sure it’s easy to pick up prepared broth at the store, but most of what I tossed into the crock pot would have been tossed into the trash. That’s reason enough to make my own stock. No more waste!
Do you make your own vegetable stock/broth? Share your recipe / links!
40 thoughts on “Kale-Lentil-Squash Chili / Homemade Vegetable Stock”
Comments are closed.
Making your own stock is such a great idea! I really like the idea of spicing it up too – never enough heat for me!
This sounds divine. I do make my own stock – mainly because it is a nice way to use some of my (abundant) leftover juice pulp. I am so adding a jalapeno next time I make some 🙂
another great idea!
another great idea!
Juice pulp! What a great idea! OMG, between regular food prep and juicing I could be making 8 cups of veggie stock every few days! LOL Love it!
I’ve thought of using pulp to make broth, but I’ll usually have an apple in my juice and cleaning the pulp collector more than I do seems cumbersome. I wonder if the apple would have a noticeable adverse affect on the broth?
That’s a great question. I can’t help but think it would be okay — I mean I used a whole jalapeno, seeds and all, and it didn’t hurt anything! LOL Surely an apple will be okay (let us know if you try it!)
Love the jalapeño idea! Your chili looks divine!
Looks fantastic! I am loving my new pressure cooker and this looks like an easy recipe to use with it. So far I’ve only cooked individual beans or rice – I have yet to do a soup/chili – can’t wait to try it!
Looks fantastic! I am loving my new pressure cooker and this looks like an easy recipe to use with it. So far I’ve only cooked individual beans or rice – I have yet to do a soup/chili – can’t wait to try it!
Looks fantastic! I am loving my new pressure cooker and this looks like an easy recipe to use with it. So far I’ve only cooked individual beans or rice – I have yet to do a soup/chili – can’t wait to try it!
What a great idea! I would not make mine this spicey but it’s seems variable. Love that it is kept in the freezer. Sounds very grounding and would be perfect for me right now. I’ve been feeling pretty guilty about not using my kale stalks for anything.
I think that is why I was most excited about it — less waste!
You have inspired me yet again. I need to start making my own stock.
You will love it, Linda. Let me know if you do!
Looks great. Have only done this a few times and was thinking to do it in the slow cooker next!
It was so easy!
JL, I’m curious why you simmered stock for 6 hours? When you can make one in the pressure cooker in 5 minutes – 30 minutes max. To get the same concentrated flavor ad enough water to cover the veggie bits, open with natural release and if you would like to make it more concentrated you can remove the lid and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce.
Ciao!
L
P.S. I like to add a spoon of tomato puree to my stock – if not tomato bits are to be found in my veggie stash.
I’m an equal opportunity user of all of my appliances 😉 On any given day I’ve used the rice cooker twice, the pressure cooker at least once, as well as the bread machine and the crock pot 🙂
Now that I have learned a few things about stock, I’m definitely game for trying it in the pressure cooker — and I love your suggestion of adding tomato sauce (while I was prepping it my friend, Chef Doug McNish, suggested tomatoes for the acidity). Next time!
hi JL! I’ve made stock in the pressure cooker as well and love it.. I am sure you will too. it’s quick and very flavorful. good for you using the jalapeno. I will have to try that!
Go you! I’ll quiz you down on it Sunday on our run.
Indeed!
Never made my own stock but I’m totally inspired now! Going to start storing veg scraps pronto. This chili recipe also sounds fabulous – might cook some up tonight with quinoa.
Yum, that sounds great!
Love the giant chunks of squash! And congratulations on making your first stock. Another thing that’s great in stock is the cooking water from dried beans, particularly chickpeas (chickpea cooking broth is pretty much a stock all on its own…). Nice idea about using the juice pulp. I never thought of that 😉
Great idea!
Very nice! I’m looking forward to trying out this technique when my freezer bag is full. It’s so exciting really.
I think YOU will love it, Wendy! (and will get super-creative, no doubt).
I make my own veggie stock, so easy and simple! A great way to use up the vegetable extras! Yummy =)
I remember reading one of your posts on it and you turned me on to storing soups in the freezer in baggies!
Awesome idea! I’ve never made my own stock, but we freeze all of our produce scraps since we had a fruit fly problem over the summer. Perhaps this is my next venture!
You will love it!
any ideas to make this if you don’t have a crock pot? i didn’t think of that before I started saving scraps. oops
Bitt, do you mean the stock? Check some of your cookbooks — now that I’m aware of stock I’m finding that many cookbooks offer a stock recipe (and it’s typically stove top). I think in general the set up is the same (cover veggies with water) and then I assume it’s about the right amount of reduction — but I’m don’t know for certain!
This has finally been the inspiration I needed to make my own broth. I always have tons of veggie scraps which I generally bring to compost at the Farmers’ Market. Might as well get one more use out of the scraps before I do. I made my last batch last weekend. Yum! Think I’ll use what’s left to make your portabella-barley soup.
That’s great! I’m a total homemade stock convert! This week I kept some in a jar and used it for sauteing (instead of oil) and poured some over grain dishes that I reheated for lunch or dinner!