Vegetable Broth: MIY (make-it-yourself)

Looking for a healthy flavor secret? Good tasting vegetable broth is key to flavorful soups, stews and grain dishes. Unfortunately, most packaged veggie broths taste awful. No time to spend hours making homemade broth? No problem. I developed this quick and clean veggie broth that’s ready in minutes. Once you see how easy it is to make vegetable broth, you’ll always make-it-yourself.

For a basic vegetable broth, start with onion, garlic and carrot. For more complex flavor, add other veggies such as celery, mushrooms and tomatoes. The secret to a quick cooking broth is finely chopped vegetables. Use a food processor to make quick work of the chopping.

Use a food processor to finely chop vegetables.

Quick and Clean Veggie Broth
1 medium yellow or white onion, peeled and quartered
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
6 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Add onion, carrots and garlic to food processor bowl; pulse vegetables until finely chopped. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped vegetables to saucepan. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water, bay leaves, salt and peppercorns. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Drain mixture; discard solids. Makes 4 to 5 cups broth.

Kitchen Tip: Store broth in the refrigerator up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.

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Greek Yogurt: MIY (make-it-yourself)

Sure, you can buy Greek yogurt…but it’s more fun to make-it-yourself. All you need is a colander, a kitchen towel and some time. Learn how to make Greek yogurt from Mark Bittman of the The New York Times.

Tips for making your own Greek yogurt:

  • Keep fat in check. Start with low-fat or fat-free plain yogurt.
  • Check the label. Choose yogurt without added gelatin or other thickeners. Gelatin binds the liquid, preventing it from draining away.
  • Stay cool. Keep yogurt refrigerated during the straining process.

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Sparkling Juice: MIY (make-it-yourself)

Drinking plenty of water is a basic (and important) eat clean rule. But what if you want to treat yourself to a thirst quencher with some flavor and spark? Reaching for a bottle of sparkling juice may be a better choice than soda, but making-it-yourself is an even tastier option. You’re in control with MIY sparkling juice, free to create your own signature drink. No recipe required, just a few quick tips.

Blood Orange Sparkler

Blood Orange Sparkler

  • Start with antioxidant-packed, high flavor juices. Try acai, pomegranate, cherry or fresh squeezed citrus juice.
  • Top with sparkling water, club soda or seltzer. Experiment to find the proportion of water to juice that suits your taste. Use more water than juice to keep calories in check.
  • Add a squeeze of lemon or lime to boost flavor.

Using the juice of seasonal fruits is a real treat. Right now citrus fruit is at its peak. Pick up some blood oranges and try my favorite sparkling juice of the season- Blood Orange Sparkler. Simply mix equal parts fresh squeezed blood orange juice and grapefruit sparkling water. Sip and repeat.