One of my daughters, Brittany, has been a committed vegetarian since she was 12 years old. It began with eating the top part of tacos while leaving the meat at the bottom untouched and with eating everything on her plate except for the meat. I asked her, very matter of factly, about it one day – not wanting to make a mountain of what may have been a molehill.
Spoiler alert – it was not a molehill.
She adorably told me, “I don’t want to ever eat anything that once had a face.” I told her that it was her decision to make and that I was on her side. If she didn’t want to eat anything that once had a face, no one… and I mean no one… was ever going to make her.
I read up on protein,vegetarianism, health concerns AND benefits, etc. We became black bean burger experts and, truth be told, the whole family surely benefited from the increased veggies in the kitchen. I made certain then and I make certain now that anything I cook for her doesn’t contain any ingredients that… well… once had a face.
One of the biggest areas of concern (for me anyway as a cook) has been replacing chicken broth in the food I make for her. It adds SO MUCH FLAVOR! Store-bought vegetable broth simply cannot compare. That’s why I prefer to make my own vegetable stock to use for her dressing at Thanksgiving. She’s a huge, huge, huge fan of garlic and flavorful herbs, so I can add those in and give her the layers of flavor she loves.
And no faces.
The recipe below really isn’t a recipe as much as it is a technique because it’s so customizable. If you’re using a vegetable broth for soup or stew, you might want to leave out the sage and replace it with thyme or basil. However, for Thanksgiving stuffing, don’t dare leave out the sage.
While I’ve said (in the recipe below) to simmer for 30 minutes, I actually turn the heat down and simmer for longer. Why? I love for the kitchen to smell like Thanksgiving! Naturally, you can’t simmer too long, however, or your broth will cook away. The house will smell like Autumn Heaven, but you’ll be left with a tablespoon of broth.
Homemade Vegetable Broth for Thanksgiving Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 large Sweet Onion
- 2 cups Chopped Celery
- Celery tops
- 20 Baby Carrots (halved or left whole)
- 9-10 Cloves Garlic, coarsely chopped
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Twig of Rosemary
- Twig of Thyme
- 3 Sage Leaves
- 1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 8 Cups Water
Instructions
- Clean and chop (coarsely) the vegetables.
- Heat EVOO in a soup pot.
- Add vegetables and herbs to the EVOO and cook over medium high heat for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add salt and water. Bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes (uncovered).
- Strain and throw out (or eat!) the vegetables.
- Store your broth in the refrigerator until ready to use.
When I had to start eating gluten free, like so many people I was shocked to discover just how many products contained gluten. One of my biggest disappointments was the fact that Campbell’s Tomato Soup was not gluten free. I grew up on that soup and, honestly, counted it amongst my most comforting comfort foods.
A while back, I was sent a box of 
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