Easy Chicken/Bone Stock and or Broth

Well, I realize it has been a mighty long time since I have posted. We started the GAPS diet about 6 weeks ago and life has been a little chaotic. I am finally settling in to the routine, and this past week, it seems like I am back to my "old kitchen routine!" Hooray. As with many things in life, the adaptation is the hard part, and this Therapeutic diet is proving to be no different.

GAPS calls for lots and lots of meat and bone broths as they foster to heal a weak gut. The gelatin contained in a homemade stock also helps to seal off the gut to prevent "leaking" problems. All of this helps digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Plus, with flu season in full swing, homemade soup and stock is one of the best things to feed your family!

With that said, I have had lots of questions in my personal email lately about "how to make stock." Instead of typing it out in many emails, I am going to post my easy "crock pot" recipe, without meat (meaning you are cooking chicken meat by some other means) and with meat, since that seems to be the method of choosing for me right now!



Cooking Chicken by Roasting, grilling etc.
All of our chickens come whole! So, when we want something other than roasted chicken, I have to cut it off the bone. I take my chicken and quarter it. I remove the legs with the thighs and debone the breast meat. I am than left with the carcass, wings, and back meat. I remove the wings and cut up the carcass, or break it with my hands into 4 pieces.

I place the wings, and the broken carcass right into the crock-pot along with the neck (cut into small pieces, maybe 5 or so) liver, and heart. I fill my 6 quart crock-pot just about full, maybe 5 quarts of water.

Here is where you have creative freedom. You are welcome to place an onion coarsely chopped, celery, carrots, garlic clove, etc. etc.

I personally add:
1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar (which helps leach the minerals from the bones of the chicken)
2 TBsp Salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
some chicken feet
see below "Proceeding with stock"


With the Meat:
I start in the morning, and cut my chicken and place it in the crock pot. For a 4-5lb bird, I place the quarters on the bottom of the pot with the organ meat etc, and fill with water, add salt, pepper, garlic (and anything else you want to eat with the chicken) and turn it on low for 4-6 hours depending on the bird. When time is up, I remove the meat from the chicken and about 1/2 of the stock. I put the bones back in the stock, add some chicken feet and more water and proceed with the directions below.


Proceeding with bone/meat stock:
I put the crock pot on high, and add the rest of the bones left-over from dinner when we are done. Before bed I turn my crock-pot to low and let it simmer for 24 to 36 hours. This will allow for all the minerals to be absorbed from the bones into the stock. When done, I simply pour through a mesh strainer into a large bowl and cool. We leave our fat in the stock b/c of GAPS, but you could easily chill it and skim the fat off, and store it in the fridge for a week or freezer for several months. (I like to ice cube tray it for ease of future use if in the freezer.)

All the extra parts that are left in the meat strainer I than place in my food processor (yes, bones, extra meat, organ meat etc) and puree until smooth. Yeah, for Pate! You could also place through a juicer. I find this is a messier option, and if you well cook your bones, they are soft enough to smash between your fingers... They will need to be juiced twice! :)

If you are daring you could add onions, garlic etc to it and use it as a dip. I tend to hide this paste back into my stocks and soups as the weeks goes on.

If you aren't feeling so daring, you can separate out what you will eat (meat, organs, etc) and toss the bones to your pet or the trash.

Bone pate was a new discovery for us with GAPS, but as least we are now able to use all the chicken, and have an awesome source of minerals!

That's it!
Please let me know any tips tricks you all might have to make the process go smoother. I have found for me personally this is the easiest method for me to make sure I am using my whole bird each time. I used to store up bones and than do a huge 10 quart plus batch of stock, but this became to daunting of a task for me. So, yes, I do always have a crock pot plugged in, but it works for us! :)

Coconutty Fish Soup...Mmm Mmm Good

After making your lovely fish stock it is time to bring the house down with some amazingly awesome soup! I don't know about you all, but we are obsessed with coconut milk. It is within the last year or so that it has become a staple in our household, and now I am thinking how did I ever live without this amazingly rich, creamy, and Delicious goodness! I know I sound a little obsessive, but it is true, I love my coconut, and N and J are also completely enthused about it.

It I am ever in doubt over weather they will like a recipe, I add coconut milk to it, and it is a hit. I don't think either of them have ever rejected it's goodness!

Okay, okay, I'm moving onto the recipe...:)

With summer veggies in swing here, we found ourselves with some super fresh spinach to use! yum.

Coconut fish soup:

1 1/2 quarts fish stock
1-2 cans of coconut milk, depending on the thickness and flavor desired
1 tsp dried ginger
Bunch spinach washed
4 carrots (shredded or chopped. I prefer shredded, J likes them chopped)
2 Daikon Radishes shredded (you can omit these, they really don't add that much flavor, just nutrients)
1 onion diced or shredded
2 celery stalks finely chopped
3 tomatoes chopped
10 basil leaves (added at the end or garnished)
small bunch cilantro (added at the end or garnished)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

This is a pretty self explanatory recipe. Add all the veggies with coconut oil for sauteing to the pot and saute until just soft. Add the stock and coconut milk. Simmer for 10 minutes to give the flavors time to meld. Add the basil and cilantro at the very end, or place it in the serving bowls at the bottom and pour soup over top. (always add fresh herbs at the end of cooking and dried herbs at the beginning)

J, N, and I all loved this soup. It reminded us of a soup we used to get out at a local Asian restaurant. J added cayenne pepper to his, b/c he loves to "feel the burn." N and I enjoyed it with salt and pepper. We all had pecan bread with it! Yummy!

Of course you could add cooked brown rice to this recipe. N just can't eat that! Mix it up, it is soup after all, how wrong could you go?

Sorry about the fish photo, I need to get better at taking photos of our food! :)

Enjoy and please let me know what you think! Have any great fish soup recipes yourself?

Here Fishy Fishy.....stock!

We have been intending for awhile to use the fish heads/parts etc that we had collected from the Nice Wegman's Fish Man. Nothing like paying a dollar a pound for excellent wild caught low mercury halibut...

Fish is one of those food items that we would all love to eat more regularly, but the cost is just a problem for our tight budget. Especially when you consider the 2.30/lb we pay for free range organic chickens and the 3.40/lb we pay for our grass fed beef with all the bones! I love to try to get fish and all of it's goodness into our life, but I have found I need to be creative. (yes, it does help that my husband works for Wegmans, and we know when they have extra "parts" laying around for real cheap)

What comes home from the grocery store takes all that is in me not to hurl, (I'm still working on that) but the end product is quite delicious, nutritious, and typically gets us 3 meals!

How do we feed our whole family fish for 3 nights for just 3-4 dollars? Go to the fish man and ask him for all the filleted parts, the stuff they usually just chuck, and ask to have it/ or pay for it. Yes, you will get heads, tails, and various other things, but when made into stock, it will taste just like fish...I promise! Plus there are always "flakes" of meat left after you make the stock to thicken up your soups a bit.

Fish stock:
3 or 4 fish carcasses (non oily fish are best like, sole, turbot, rockfish, or snapper.)
1-2 onions
1-2 garlic bulbs or 5 garlic scapes or both if you like garlic:)
2 carrots chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
4-5 quarts water

The following add after the boil and skim:
6-7 basil leaves
parsley
dash of oregano
2-4 Tbsp cilantro

I added all the top ingredients and brought the water to a boil, and than skimmed it. I covered the pot and let it simmer for about 4-24 hours. When it is done, remove the carcasses and all the added veggies and herbs. If there is excess meat I save this for soup that day! Be sure to remove the excess fat that congeals on the top for long term freezer storage.

Place in the freezer in 2-4 cups storage pouches for later use.

What do you use fish stock for? Delicious soup!

Please check out the Nourishing Gourmet Pennywise Platter Thursday for more frugal recipes/tips, and tricks in your kitchen.

picture taken from Battle Creek Watershed Conservatory.

Butternut, carrot, parsnip soup

So, tonight was kind of clean out the fridge and freezer night. We all have them once in a while. So, we had soup, yet again. I find I have been obsessed lately with making soup. Ever since the purchase of my hand-held blender we have been eating soup 3-4 nights a week. Good thing I purchased my immersion blender in the winter instead of the summer!
Anyway, here goes the recipe...
4 Tbsp coconut Oil
10 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 med. onions, chopped
6 parsnips (small to med.) peeled and chopped
4-6 cups chopped butternut squash
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 patty pan squash or yellow squash chopped with skin
enough stock for the consistency you desire, about 32-64 oz.
1/2-1 cup chicken giblet gravy
salt and pepper to taste

In an 8 quart stock pot, place 4 tbsp coconut oil, add in the carrots, parsnips, onions, squash, and butternut. Saute for about 30 minutes over med. high heat. Add in the chopped ginger and saute until fragrant. Add in enough stock to cover the veggies and let simmer until all are soft. Blend with your hand-held blender, and add more liquid as needed and the optional giblet gravy, salt and pepper.

We added some chicken I had left over from making stock...and had the millet biscuits. Very good, filling dinner on a cold snowy night. It had a pleasant sweetness to it with the parsnips and ginger! You could always tops with some fresh grated nutmeg or cinnamon or both!

Purple Chicken Soup

So, this probably sounds a little weird...I know. I think it does too, but it is a wonderful way of getting red cabbage into the diet. Some red cabbages are more fragrant than others...so be warned, you may need to adjust the amount used. The Chicken/giblet gravy once cooled in the refrigerator congeals. It can be used like a chicken bouillon to flavor chicken stock based dishes. I use it in this recipe. It isn't necessary, but it does help hide the "mustard" hints from the red cabbage.
This will make a dinner for 6.

64 oz chicken stock
1/2 head red cabbage shredded (I use my food processor)
1 bulb fennel shredded (food processor)
1/2 bulb elephant garlic (put through a garlic press)
1 lb carrots peeled and sliced (food processor)
1 med-large onion sliced
2 Tbsp Butter
1/4 cup chicken/giblet gravy (this softens the flavor of the red cabbage, optional)
salt and pepper

melt 2 Tbsp butter in an 8 quart soup pot. Add in the chopped onions, fennel, and cabbage. Sautee until fragrant. Add in the carrots. Saute a little longer and then add the stock. Skim any scum that rises to the top. Press the clove of garlic into the pot. Add in the 1/4 cup giblet gravy and stir. Simmer for 20 minutes to blend flavor and enjoy. I added chicken left over from making stock.

Versitile Carrot Soup

I don't know about you all, but I love a basic soup recipe that can be spiced up of toned down depending on taste and preference. This is one of my favorites. Granted I love carrots and so does N, but it just makes you feel all warm and tingly. The following is for a main dish for about 6 people. I would recommend serving with a salad and bread option. We used the millet muffins, and a mescalin mix salad with Balsamic vinegar dressing...homemade. Yummy!

4 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced (i use my food processor..I'm obsessed)
2 med onions, chopped. (food processor again)
4 Tbsp Coconut oil (you could use butter, but I like the sweetness of coconut)
2 inches freshly grated ginger.
1 tbsp curry (or less if you don't like curry or spicy. or none)
Salt and pepper to taste
64 oz of chicken stock (homemade preferable, or store purchased broth)
2 tbsp congealed chicken/giblet gravy (optional)

In an 8 quart pot, over med heat melt the coconut oil. Add the carrots and onions. Saute until soft about 45 minutes. Add in the curry and mix well. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and skim. Add in the ginger, salt and pepper, and giblet gravy (if you have it) Allow to boil for 30 minutes until all carrots and onions are soft.
Use your immersion blender or hand held blender and blend until smooth. Top with Cream Fraiche, cultured cream or yogurt! N, loves it with yogurt and I do too! If you aren't a spicy person, the "dairy" really calms down the spiciness. Enjoy with th millet muffins and salad. You can also throw in some chicken if you have it left over from making stock!

Red Pepper Soup

So, we had a bunch of Red peppers hanging out in our freezer from out Porter Farms CSA share this summer. The red peppers where in abundance this year! I decided to give a soup recipe a go with the frozen peppers. It turned out good! I wouldn't recommend this one in the winter, though, if you don't have frozen peppers, red peppers are really expensive this time of year...well in the North East anyway!

6-8 red pepper
2 med onions, peeled, chopped
4 Tbsp Butter or coconut oil
1 1/2 quarts Chicken Stock
1 Bunch Basil, about 1/2 cup or more if you like:)
1 cup yellow squash chopped (we had this in the freezer from the summer too!)
Cream fraiche for topping or a hint of cream (not ultra-pasteurized and not on the yeast diet)

In a stainless steel pot put the butter in and melt over med-high heat, add the onions, chopped red peppers, and squash. Saute until soft and fragrant. Add the stock slowly. Let boil until all is very soft. Use a hand held blend and puree it, or pass it through a food mill. Add in chopped basil. (I also hand-blended this in so the soup has a smoother texture, but for those of you who like chunks of chopped basil, omit)

I topped with cream fraiche! Yummy!

Vegetable Root Soup

3 Large Onions
4 Carrots, peeled and sliced
3 Turnips, peeled and sliced
3 Parsnips, Peeled and Sliced
4 Tbsp Butter
1 1/2 quarts Chicken Stock (maybe more depending on desired consistency)
1 large elephant garlic bulb, or 4 small cloves peeled and mashed
1 tsp or more dried thyme or fresh sprig of thyme
pinch Cayenne Pepper
Sea Salt or Fish Sauce to season
Pinch fresh grated nutmeg
Pima Cream, or Creme Fraiche for topping

Melt butter in a large, stainless steel pot and add onions,carrots, turnips, and parsnips. Cover and cook about 1//2 hour over med-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add stock, bring to a boil and skim. Add garlic, thyme and cayenne pepper. Simmer, covered for about 1/2 hour until soft.
Remove thyme sprig if used. Puree soup with a hand-held blender. Season to taste. If you want your soup thinner, add more water or stock. Place cultured cream on top when serving.

Corn Chowder

This Chowder is unbeatable during the peak of Corn season when the ears are extra sweet. Just don't overdue it!

1 med Onion -- chopped
6 cups Fresh corn kernels (12 ear) With milk from cob or frozen
2 cups Defatted chicken broth
1 ½ cups milk or 1/2 cream (not ultra-pasturized) and milk
1 Red bell pepper -- chopped
1/2 teaspoon rosemary -- chopped
1/2 teaspoon Dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon Fresh ground pepper Cayenne -- to taste

Preheat a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat for about one minute.
lightly coat with oil. Saute onion for five minutes or until translucent. Add four
cups corn and saute for four to five minutes, until it softens a bit. Add two cups broth
and cook 20 minutes or until corn is very tender. Pour into a blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to saucepan over medium-low heat. Add bell pepper, rosemary, thyme, pepper,
cayenne and the remaining 1 cup broth and 2 cups corn. Stir and simmer ten minutes more,
until thick and creamy

Carrot, Parsnip, Apple Soup

This is one of my favorite autumn soups. I need to come up with a replacement now that Noah is allergic to Apples.
Ingredients
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon rosemary
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, parsnips, carrot, apple, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add broth and water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender; add vinegar, cover and pulse until it forms a chunky puree. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids; see Tip.)
3. Clean the pot, return it to medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the soup back into the pan. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until heated through, about 1 minute.
Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.


If you want to cut down on cost omit the chicken and serve with Grilled Whole Wheat Cheese sandwiches, also goes well with a dark brew beer.