Author Archives: Elaine Broughton

About Elaine Broughton

As a child I grew up eating a traditional American diet that was heavy on meat and potatoes(mostly fried). After three heart attacks I became acutely aware of the need to actively use my diet to heal the damage done to my body, which means eating a healthy, mostly plant based diet. I've always loved to cook and to garden, so I approached this change as a kind of culinary adventure in learning new ways to prepare foods that I was already familiar with, as well as trying new and different fruits and vegetables. As I used more and more fresh produce in season, I discovered that foods not only tasted better, but my grocery budget slimmed down along with my waistline. In addition, I noticed that the character of my kitchen changes with the seasons as I try to enjoy the foods that are freshest and most affordable. I've included traditional recipes (using meat, dairy and eggs) along with the vegetarian recipes. Hopefully, this will appeal to others hoping to bring a healthier way of eating to their family table. Please let me know what you think of the recipes and feel free to share your own versions of how to use the main ingredients. Elaine...in the Kitchen.

Taking Stock

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One of the basics of every kitchen has to be stock. I use a lot of it every week for all kinds of dishes from soup to rice or quinoa pilaf. For years I was totally intimidated by the idea of making my own stock, but I recently had a request for how to make homemade stock and I’m happy to share that vegetable stock can be a pretty effortless process. One suggestion is when you prepare vegetables, instead of discarding the peels, ends and other throwaway pieces, stick them in a plastic bag and put in the freezer. When you want to make stock, add any leftover vegetables such as peas or green beans and you have the beginning of a great stock.
Vegetable Stock
I generally eat a vegetarian diet, so mostly I use vegetable stock. It’s quick, easy, and a great base for almost any dish. I don’t add salt because it’s easier to control the taste in my other dishes. Here is my recipe for a quick veggie stock.
Ingredients:
2 medium onions, cut in half
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, smashed with skins left on
Tablespoon of tomato paste

You can also use any tomato sauce you’ve got. I’ve even used leftover spaghetti sauce (without the spaghetti). Just don’t get carried away. Keep the amount to less than ¼ cup.

1 bay leaf
Tbsp. chopped parsley, if you have it.
1 tsp dried thyme
Ground black pepper to taste
Red bell pepper discards (optional)
Cup of Mushroom stock (optional)

Place ½ cup dried mushrooms in a bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Let them steep for about half an hour, while the vegetables roast, until the liquid is a nice rich brown. Add the liquid from the mushrooms to your stock base.

Directions:Put the vegetables in a shallow pan, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Roasted Vegetables for Stock

Remove from the oven and place in a large pot, add the liquid from the mushrooms, and water until the vegetables are covered. Add the herbs and seasonings.   Bring to a simmer, cover and slowly simmer for about 20 minutes.

Stock Pot

Squish the vegetables just a little for a richer stock. Let cool and strain through a fine sieve or colander. Discard the vegetables or put them in the compost bin.

Vegetable Stock

Pour stock into glass jars or other containers and keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze for future use. I friend of mine pours the stock into ice cube trays and once frozen places them in freezer bags.

Meat Stock

Meat stock takes longer but is well worth the effort and I recommend you make a larger batch for convenience.  Here are the additional steps.

For beef stock, use meaty soup bones or leg bones from the supermarket.  They’re inexpensive and easy to work with (the dog, of course, will be very disappointed).  For chicken stock use that leftover chicken carcass or a package of wings and backs.  Place the bones and the same kind of vegetables you would use to make veggie stock in a shallow pan and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. If you already have vegetable stock on hand, just roast the bones, being careful not to char them.

Place the roasted bones, along with all the yummy bits from the roasting pan and the vegetables or vegetable stock in the slow cooker or stock pot.  I like to use my slow cooker for this because it doesn’t require as much supervision. Make sure the bones and vegetables are covered by about 2 inches of vegetable stock or water.  Simmer over a low heat, just below boiling, for 4-8 hours.  Check periodically to make sure the liquid is still covering the bones and veggies.  The trick is low and slow and it’s better if you don’t stir the stock.   The fats that are released from the bones will come to the top.  Gently skim away the fat and discard (not in the sink).  When the stock has simmered for at least 4 hours, you can stop the cooking process (but longer is better).  Remove the large bones and vegetable chunks and strain the stock through a fine sieve or colander covered with cheese cloth.  You want the stock to be rich but not cloudy.  In a bowl, chill the stock in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  The remaining fat will solidify on the top and you can skim it off.

Beef Stock

Pour the stock into glass jars or other containers and store in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for future use.  You can use this process for venison stock also.

 

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Mushroom Delight

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Looks like I get to enjoy a weekend on my own.  Everyone has plans elsewhere and I’m taking the opportunity to do some “me time” in the kitchen.  No one else likes mushrooms.  I don’t understand it, but I guess it’s just who they are.  As a matter of fact, mushrooms seem to be one of those foods where you either really, really like them, or you really, really don’t.  I really, really like mushrooms so tonight I’m having one of my favorites: Mushrooms and Brown Rice.

Mushrooms and Brown Basmati Rice

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups any kind of mushroom (I’m using cremini and regular white button mushrooms)
  • 1/2 cup uncooked brown basmati rice
  • 1 – 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 small jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsely
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce or soy sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy sauce pan combine the vegetable broth, rice, (and butter if you choose).  Bring to a boil, stir once, cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for approximately 50 minutes.  You can also use a rice cooker if you have one.

Chop the onion, garlic, pepper, and mushrooms.  In a skillet, saute the onions in a tablespoon or two of vegetable broth or non fat cooking spray.  Add the garlic and peppers and saute until the onion is translucent, being careful not to let the  garlic burn.  Add the mushrooms, worchestershire or soy sauce, cumin and enough vegetable broth to simmer the mixture until the mushrooms are tender. Fold in the rice and the parsley.  Season with salt and pepper.

There’s nothing fancy about this dish, it’s comfort food, pure and simple.  You can have it as a main dish, or serve it to the carnivores on the side, but this time it’s all mine.  Try it and let me know what you think.

Fruit Soup and Other Dried Treasures

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Preserving fruit is a regular activity in the fall kitchen.  I’ve been drying blueberries in the dehydrator and oven drying loads of sweet Roma tomatoes.  So I was thinking about baking recently and took a quick inventory of my supply of dried fruit. They’re a favorite ingredient for holiday baking so I try to make sure I have a wide variety.  The variety was there but most of it was from last year, so it was time to make some room.  I decided to make a versatile favorite, fruit soup.  Years ago I found a great recipe in a church cookbook called Norwegian Fruit Soup.  I was instantly capitvated and have made it many times over the years.  You can eat it hot, you can eat it cold.  It’s great as a topping for ice cream, on hot cereal, mixed with yogurt and granola, or just by the spoonful.  The mix of dried fruit can be different, depending on what you like and what you have on hand.  Here’s my most recent iteration based on what was available in my kitchen.

Fruit Soup

Elaine’s Crockpot Fruit Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup dried cherries
  • 3/4 cup golden and regular raisins
  • 3/4 cup dried apricots, cut into quarters
  • 1/2 cup dried plums (aka prunes), cut in half
  • 1/3 cup dried mango
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 tablespoons candied ginger, cut into small pieces
  • 2 lemon slices (more about this one later)
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/8 teaspoon cardamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 4-5 whole allspice
  • 4-5 whole cloves
  • 6 to 8 cups water
  • 3 apples, cored, peeled and cut into cubes

Directions:

The night before (or several hours) put all of the fruit except the apples into a crockpot along with the sugar, honey and spices and pour in the water.  If you’re cooking overnight, set the crockpot on warm and cover.  That’s essentially it.  The next day, or whenever the fruit is soft, add the chopped apples and simmer on high for about an hour.  The apples should be cooked but not mushy.  The smell alone will have everyone’s mouth watering. If you’re not going to eat it immediately just spoon into jars and store in the refrigerator.  Depending on the size of your family, this recipe could last up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

I mentioned the lemon slices in the above recipe.  I got this great recipe from my sister-in-law, Skye Morgan O’Malley and it’s sensational.

Lemons in Honey

Lemons in Honey

Slice enough lemons to fill a glass jar.  Pour in enough honey to cover the lemons.  Put the lid on and place in the refrigerator for about 4 days (okay, 2 if you just can’t wait).    I used a couple of slices in the Fruit Soup, and it’s a great way to add some pizzazz to a cup of tea or a wine cooler.

 

 

 

Texas Beans and Corn Meal Dumplings

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Spicy Beans and DumplingsFall has arrived and with the crisp weather and lower temperatures, something hearty and full of flavor seems like the perfect choice.  So, I’m making Texas Beans with Corn Meal Dumplings.  I found the original recipe for this as a soup on Cooks.com.  However, being from Texas originally, I know that beans and soup are two different things. Neither of them are chili, and there are NO CARROTS.  So, of course I had to “improve” on the basic recipe.  Ordinarily, I would make corn bread in the cast iron skillet, but since I’ve never met a dumpling I didn’t love from the first mouthful, I thought I’d get the best of both worlds. 

My first consideration is always to make a healthy meal.  This dish is extremely low fat and nutritious.  An added bonus is that it’s also really economical and feeds a lot of hungry mouths, and that’s a big consideration these days. 

I recommend using a Dutch oven for this dish.  The slow cooker takes too long and when you’re using canned beans it’s kind of a waste of time and electricity.  I’m getting hungry, so let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
  • 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans or chili beans rinsed & drained
  • 3 c. vegetable, beef or chicken stock (fat free, of course)
  • 1 (14 1/2 oz.) no salt added diced tomatoes
  • ½ cup mild or hot salsa
  • 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
  • 1 lg. onion, chopped
  • 1 small potato, peeled and diced
  • 1  jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (if you’re really brave, use canned chipotle pepper)
  • 2 instant bouillon cubes (for depth and richness)
  • 1-2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1-2 tsp. cumin
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine onions, garlic and pepper in a Dutch oven with a couple of tablespoons of stock and sweat until onions are translucent.  Add the stock and all other ingredients.  Cover and cook over low heat for 2-4 hours.

 Half an hour before serving make and add the dumplings.

 Corn Meal Dumplings:

  • 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 c. yellow cornmeal
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • Dash of salt (optional)
  • Dash of pepper
  • 1 beaten egg white or 1/4 cup egg substitute
  • 2 tbsp. milk
  • 1 tbsp. cooking oil

 In a small mixing bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, combine egg white, milk and oil. Add to flour mixture; stir with a fork until just combined. 

 Turn to medium heat and drop teaspoonfuls of dumpling mixture into the beans to make mounds atop the beans. Cover, cook for 30 minutes more. (No peeking! Do not lift cover.)

If you try this recipe please let me know how you liked it.