Vegetable Stock

Vegetable stock, which is also sometimes referred to as vegetable broth, is called for in many vegetarian recipes. A vegetarian diet excludes all forms of meat, poultry, and fish, but does include some animal-produced fare such as dairy products and eggs. Because it doesn’t include any meat, it’s especially important that a vegetarian diet include a wide variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, plenty of leafy greens, whole-grain products, nuts, seeds, and high-protein legumes.

Yields 4 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 large onions, peeled and halved
• 2 medium carrots, cleaned and cut into large pieces
• 3 stalks of celery, cut in half
• 1 whole bulb of garlic
• 10 peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 ½ cups water

1. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the slow cooker. Break the bulb of garlic into individual cloves; peel the garlic and add to the slow cooker. Add the peppercorns, bay leaf, and water. Add additional water if necessary to completely cover the vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 4–8 hours.
2. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer or through cheesecloth placed in a colander. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator, or freeze until needed.

Vegetable Stock Variations

Garlic is the base flavor of this light vegetable stock. For a darker, rich sauce, oven-roast the vegetables until the onions are caramelized before adding them to the slow cooker. For a tomato-based flavor, substitute 2 cups of tomato juice for an equal amount of the water, or add 4 large, quartered tomatoes and reduce the water by ½ cup. Adding potatoes or using potato water (water used to cook potatoes) will result in a somewhat thickened stock.