Best Golden Soup Bouillion #vegan #soyfree #plantstrong #oilfree

I spend a lot of moolah on vegan soup bouillion... or have in the recent past.  I particularly got used to the little jar of dark brown bouillion from Costco that smelled very yeast-y and was quite salty and set me back $7 every time I bought it.  It was good for about a couple of weeks of soups and veggie stews.

And then, when looking for some delicious bean recipes in the never-fail The Great Vegan Bean Book: More than 100 Delicious Plant-Based Dishes Packed with the Kindest Protein in Town! - Includes Soy-Free and Gluten-Free Recipes! (Great Vegan Book) I came across a couple of delicious-sounding (-reading?) bouillion recipes in the front of the book.  The one called Savory Golden Bouillon is actually from her first recipe book, the only recipe she transferred from that first book The Vegan Slow Cooker.  In there it was called "Chickeny Bouillion".

Since I have become pretty much habituated to my Instant Pot, I bypassed the 'stove method' and the 'slow cooker directions' and did a quicky batch of this bouillion in the Instant Pot (directions below for all three methods of preparation).

My past forays into making my own bouillion have resulted in a lot of fuss and mess and time that I somewhat resented.  <-- I confess.  I usually ended up with a clear bouillion in a mason jar that was tasty, but that didn't go into many soups or veggie stews.  I also recall that those recipes recommended "throwing away" the veggies and herbs that were limp and depleted at the end of the process.. well, that waste really got up my nose.  I think I diced the overcooked carrots into a soup and probably did compost the mess of straw-tasting herbs.  This recipe of Kathy Hester's involves blending the entire pot of bouillion so NOTHING is lost-- it is a savoury, flavourful, fibreful blend, exactly what I look for in a homemade soup or veggie stew.  Read: I am not a 'broth' person.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large (or 2 small) Onion, cut into quarters

2 medium Carrots, chopped-- if they are not organic, it's a good idea to peel them and cut ends off

1/2 C. Water (or more, depending on method used-- see the method you will use below)

1 teaspoon (15ml) dried Thyme (or 2 generous sprigs of fresh Thyme if you have it)

2 stocks, chopped, Celery

1 teaspoon of dried Parsley (or 2 generous sprigs of fresh-- I found some surviving the winter in my garden here on the We(s)t Coast of Canada-- yay)

1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon Salt, (optional-- I left it out)

1/2 C. (48g) Nutritional Yeast (NOT Brewer's Yeast or Bread-making Yeast.  Buy it bulk to save.  This does not go into the mix until it is in the blender.)

INSTANT POT METHOD:

1. Place all ingredients (except Nutritional Yeast) in the Instant Pot insert and cover with water.
2. Lock lid in place and place lid to "sealing"
3. Hit the Manual setting and adjust the time to 20 minutes
4. Allow the pot to release steam at the end on its own (do not flip the steam release lock)
5. Remove the lid and allow the bouillion to cool for a bit (or just allow it to do that via the pot timers if you have other things to do)
6. Carefully blend the bouillion remembering that high heat can blow the lid off your blender.  Sometimes small batch blending is a wise choice.  Add in the Nutritional Yeast. If using an immersion blender, best to use a bowl other than the stainless steel insert-- my own opinion on preserving the stainless steel finish on the insert.
7. Spoon the blended bouillion into an ice cube tray (I have a tray where each cube equals about 2 Tablespoons which is the amount of bouillion I would use in a small soup or veggie stew).
8. Freeze.  Place in freezer baggies and pop the needed cube into your stews and soups! Voila!

STOVE-TOP METHOD:

1. Put everything except the nutritional yeast into your saucepan and bring to a slow boil, add a lid and cook until the carrots are tender (20-30 minutes) on MEDIUM heat.
2. Check to make sure there is enough water-- if not, add more so the vegetables don't stick and burn.
3. Remove any thyme stems (if using sprigs) at the end of the cooking and transfer to the blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender.  Add in the Nutritional Yeast and blend well. Freeze and store in cubes as explained in #7 and #8 above re Instant Pot Method.

SLOW COOKER METHOD:

1. Cut up your veggies and herbs in advance-- the evening before, if you are starting it in the morning-- and put in the fridge before heading to bed.
2. The next morning if you are worried about the pot 'drying out' while you are away, you could spray it with oil before adding your stock. (suggestion by Kathy Hester)  It should generally be fine for 8-12 hours, but for your own peace of mind the above might be helpful.
3. Proceed with #6-#8 of the directions for the Instant Pot method.  You might actually be using an Instant Pot (because it does have a Slow Cooker setting).

PROMISE:  You will be so proud of yourself for putting together these tasty little cubes that will go into all your tasty veggie soups and stews from now on, I bet. 

Check out The Great Vegan Bean Book: More than 100 Delicious Plant-Based Dishes Packed with the Kindest Protein in Town! - Includes Soy-Free and Gluten-Free Recipes! (Great Vegan Book)