No Fail Vegetable Stock

Vegetable stock is so easy and inexpensive. Really. There's no excuse to ever, ever buy it in store ever again. You'll be able to avoid unnecessary preservatives and those awful tetrapaks. I use it in soups, enchilada sauce, risotto, pastas, dog treats and really almost everything. If you want to amp up rice, cook it in stock instead of water. It takes the dish from OK to amazing. 

Also, before we go any further, I just want to get one thing straight:

Stock: Unseasoned

Broth: Seasoned (salt, pepper, herbs, etc.)

I don't like to season mine; because, I like to keep my options open. Now, that we have that settled. Let's continue.

Most regional cuisines are based on three very key ingredients. Carrots, onions, and celery are the base of the mirepoix which is commonly found in both French and Southern cuisines. The Italians have a soffrito which is a mix of tomatoes, garlic, and onion. And, in New Orleans they have the holy trinity of celery, onion, and green bell pepper. Depending on what you like to cook you can add any of these ingredients to your broth.

You want to steer clear of the cruciferous family. They can impart a very bitter flavor to your broth. Potatoes are not cruciferous, but they will make your broth very cloudy, and don't impart much flavor. 

As you're prepping meals through out the week, you can cut off the odds and ends of onions, carrots, garlic peels and throw them all in a bowl in the freezer. Once it starts to fill up, you can use it to make stock! 

Before

After six hours

Recipe-ish

Roughly chop and wash your vegetables. You want to make sure you remove any dirt. Dump all of your veggie bits in a pot big enough to hold all of them. Cover them with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Put on the lid and walk away. 

That's it! So, easy right!? 

Now, you can let this simmer for an hour - two for a light flavor. But, I like mine to get very condensed and rich. I let it simmer for approximately six hours. I store mine in the freezer, so I always have it on hand. 

I made 15 cups of stock for $3.00! That much organic stock in store would cost me $21.50. 

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Best Ever Nacho Cheese!

I solemnly swear this Nacho’s so good. Back in high school everyone looked forward to Wednesday: Nacho Day. Trays of brilliant, radioactive, yellow goop filled the cafeteria.

This recipe is the stuff high school dreams are made of but without the artificial food coloring and crazy preservatives. It's also without actual dairy - yep you read that right. Dairy Free.

Real Color, No Modification

No dairy. 

In fact it's mostly vegetables... so slather away my friends. No one needs to know it's actually good for you. 

It's also extremely versatile. You could use this as a base for broccoli & cheese soup, macaroni, chili dogs, cheesy rice, fondue, really the possibilities are endless. Just switch up the spices to match your region’s cuisine. 

Vegan, Dairy-Free, Nacho Cheese Sauce

This will make roughly 32 fluid oz.

2 Carrots

2 Red Potatoes

1/2 a Red or Orange Bell Pepper

1 Jalapeno

1/2 a Small Red or Yellow Onion

3 Cloves of Minced Garlic

1/2 Cup of Cashews

1 Tablespoon each of Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, Cumin, and Nutritional Yeast and add Kosher Salt and pepper to taste.

*additionally you could add some coriander or other chilies and spices.   

Chop all of the vegetables into strips or cubes for faster cooking. I did not peel them. 

Bring all of the vegetables to a rapid boil in 3 cups of water. Boil until the potatoes are tender (roughly 20 minutes) and your liquid should reduce to roughly 2 cups.

In a blender add your cashews, your spices, your boiled veggie liquid, and veggies. Blend until smooth. Taste and add spices to your liking.

If you're scared about the salt, add half and then add half after you've tasted. It tastes even better second day!   

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Zero Waste Vegan Meal Prep

This week is already insane. I knew it would be, so I decided to try my hand at meal prepping for the week - vegan style. It’s a first and it’s been a lifesaver.

I also want to include what I’ve prepped for my boyfriend who eats meat. This is an inter-dietary prep, which means it will be half vegan and half not. If you're prepping for two vegans, double the vegan portion. 

I was able to go to every store in about an hour and fifteen minutes on Saturday. I wanted to focus on food that was easy to transport. 

Prepping took around 2 hours total. I have three mason jar salads in the fridge; prepped meat and meatless balls; there’s marinara for the subs and soup frozen in the freezer.

 I fried two steaks for Justin, made a pot of rice, a batch of cookies, and several smoothies. I did not clean the blender in between each smoothie to save on time.

 I freeze them and put one in the fridge right before bed. It's the perfect consistency 8 hours later. 

We don’t like eating the same thing more than twice so I try to vary it. Justin’s sandwiches can be made quickly before leaving. We always freeze our bread to keep it fresh. It’s great knowing we will both be eating well while I’m at rehearsal. 

Groceries: 

$20 Farmers Market: Plums, Peaches, Strawberries, Cucumbers, 2 heads of Romaine, Carrots, Purple Onion, Tomatoes, Peppers, Grapes

$10 Butcher: .5lb Carne Asada, .5lb Ground Beef, .5lb of Deli Turkey, 1 link of Andouille Sausage. 

$10 Conventional: Mango, Pineapple, Banana, Apples, 2 Baguettes 

$1 Bulk: Garbanzo Beans

$5 Bakery: Croissants, Treats

Monday: 

            K - Grape, Strawberry, Banana Smoothie

                 Leftover Spaghetti, Greek Side Salad

                 Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

            J - Grape, Strawberry, Banana Smoothie

                 Turkey, Croissant Sandwich

                 Steak, Potatoes, Broccoli

Tuesday: 

            K - Kale, Strawberry, Apple, Cucumber Smoothie

                 Meatless Ball Sub

                 Soup & Baguette

            J - Grape, Strawberry, Banana Smoothie

                  Meatball Sub

                 Soup, Rice, Andouille Sausage

Wednesday:

            K - Kale, Strawberry, Apple, Cucumber Smoothie

                 Super Vegan Burrito from Food Truck

                 Super Vegan Burrito Leftovers

            J - Grape, Strawberry, Banana Smoothie

                 Burrito from Food Truck

                 Burrito Leftovers

Thursday: 

            K - Peach, Mango, & Cucumber Smoothie

                 Greek Salad

                 Veggie Fried Rice

            J - Peach, Mango, & Cucumber Smoothie

                Turkey, Croissant Sandwich

                Veggie Fried Rice

Friday:  

            K - Mango, Pineapple, Banana Smoothie

                 Asian Salad

                 Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

            J - Mango, Pineapple, Banana Smoothie

                Turkey Croissant Sandwich

                Steak, Potatoes, Broccoli

Snacks include: nuts, homemade granola, plums and cookies

If you have any tips on how to make it easier to read a meal prep post - let me know! Or if you have any recipes I'd love to read them. This was based entirely on things that are grab-and-go / easy to transport.

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