Home made vegetable broth is an easy and rewarding way to add wonderful flavour to a healthy diet. Almost any combination of vegetables will do, simply add water, boil, reduce, strain and presto … your vegetarian creation is complete.

There are some culinary tricks however that I now consider almost essential in order for vegetable broth to meet my own personal expectations, but you can be the judge.

Broiling – Baking
While it is entirely sufficient to simply drop a few handfuls of raw vegetables into a boiling pot of water to achieve tasty results, I find that the overall flavour of a great home made broth is dramatically improved when those same veggies are roasted in the oven first at around 400 to 450 for 30 or 40 minutes. Some ingredients like celery are not good candidates for broiling since they tend to take on an unfavourable aftertaste when subjected to this kind of dry, high heat. Most all other ingredients however will unwittingly take on a marvelous caramelized and charismatic aroma that will make your final product unmistakably more enjoyable.

Flavour Pack – Bouquet Garni
If you’re feeling adventurous you can infuse your broth with an additional layer of flavour by using a bouquet garni filled with any variety of herbs and spices you can imagine to help bring your broth to the next level. Inspire yourself by using flavours traditional to the country of your choosing or mix and match for effect. Peppercorns and bay leaves are also great candidates for a bouquet garni since they are not desirable to have floating around in your final product but their unmistakable flavour are certainly welcome additions to any broth.

Cooking Time

Once your vegetables are in the pot, simply add water until it rises almost to the brim and bring to a boil. Then it’s all about reducing the liquid for long enough to impart that delectable home made broth flavour, but not too long as to make a batch so small that it simply isn’t worth the effort. Tasting frequently is the only way to be sure. there is a subtle moment during the reduction process where the broth magically switches from tasting watery to tasting just right. Waiting too long beyond this point will certainly make for very flavourful broth but the amount remaining will prevent your hard work from being even mildly cost-efficient … and you want to end up with as much of this golden broth as possible when all is said and done, otherwise what would be the point.

Lastly, just a note on oil & salt … When roasting vegetables for my own home made broth, I always toss them in virgin olive oil with a moderate amount of kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. This small quantity of oil and salt always provides an ample amount of flavour to my final brew and generates a perfect amount of that lovely oil-drop mosaic that makes a broth complete. Making vegetable broth from scratch is a perfect opportunity to avoid adding too much salt which is one of the main reasons to try home made in the first place as commercial brands are notorious for adding too much entirely.

Once you’ve made your very first successful batch, an even moderately successful broth will make it hard to go back to anything else. Feel free to have a look at my own recipe for vegetable broth, but more importantly I look forward to hearing your ideas on how to make the ultimate home made veggie broth.

Eggs are wonderful, especially when they come from happy free-range hens, but if you’ve ever suffered from an egg-related allergic reaction or witnessed someone who has, you’d no doubt be motivated to find alternate solutions.

There are many different ways to emulate the binding qualities of eggs in your recipes, and in experimenting with the various options like flax seed, xantham gum and a wide range of pastes and gelatins, I have found that this recipe is by far my favourite fail-safe solution to replacing the magic properties imparted by eggs in almost all of my egg-free culinary adventures.

Essentially 2 starches mixed with a little baking powder and oil, I have found that the neutral flavour and simple texture works very well regardless of the application. Switching the oil from virgin olive to canola or coconut depending on the kind of meal I am serving helps a little to match the overall flavour but given the small quantity involved, this is rarely a concern.

Tebo’s Egg Replacer Recipe

Let me know what you think!

My Latest, Greatest Pancake Recipe

It’s always fun to make a batch of pancakes in the morning, but what a treat to know that they are not only delicious, but gluten free … and dairy free … AND EGG FREE!

It’s been several iterations in the making but here is my best ever vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free pancake recipe so far.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup corn flour
3 tbsp tapioca flour
1/3 cup potato starch
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 serving of my simple egg replacer recipe
3 tbsp coconut oil
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1 cup almond milk (vanilla or regular)
1/2 to 1 cup filtered water

DIRECTIONS
Thoroughly combine all of the dry ingredients (but not the chocolate chips yet) in a large mixing bowl.

Prepare 1 serving of my simple egg replacer recipe and set aside.

Gently melt the coconut oil, you can do this in the microwave or in a saucepan. I often just use a small aluminium mixing bowl directly on a small oven round on simmer.

In a small mixing bowl mash the banana into the coconut oil

Add the egg replacer, coconut oil/banana mixture, chocolate chips and 1 cup of almond milk to the dry ingredients and stir them together well.

At this point gradually add filtered water until your pancake batter is at the desired consistency.

Once ready to cook, bring your non-stick pan up to medium heat, put a little coconut oil in the pan and start makin pancakes!

Naturally you can replace the banana and chocolate chips with any kind of fruit or confection imagineable, best of luck and be sure to let me know how your version turns out.

It was one half craving and one half obsession … which would make it a crobsession I suppose … nonetheless I just knew there were mushrooms and parsnips in our near future.

One day I’ll post about another obsession I have for peeling mushrooms, but for now it will suffice to say that I peeled a package of large mushrooms and separated the caps from their stems reserving the whole lot for an important date in the saute pan where I insisted they stand guard until completely brown and very well cooked … they almost taste meaty once they’re sauteed sufficiently, and the trick I am fond of sharing is simply to cook them for much longer than you feel comfortable doing at first. Your efforts will be rewarded with a beautiful rich brown colour and a warm nutty flavour that is unforgettable.

While all this mushroom goodness was happening on the stovetop however, a batch of clean peeled parsnips cut in a rustic diagonal fashion were baking in the hot oven below until golden and just beginning to char slightly around the edges.

Removing the mushrooms from my saute pan, I then deglazed with generous portions of apple cider and vegetable broth and whisked in a little diluted tapioca flour for thickness. Some thyme, salt & pepper for seasoning and a pinch of brown sugar to help it along, I let the sauce reduce until just thick and introduced my mushrooms and parsnips to let everything meld.

Reducing even further till the sauce was very thick and coating the main ingredients completely, I barely found enough patience to snap this shot before serving it up and performing my favourite disappearing act of all thyme.

When Liz first explained to me what it meant to suffer from coeliac disease, I was a little overwhelmed at the idea of not using wheat flour (or rye flour, or barley, or most prepackaged baking mixes) to make food we could both enjoy, but I’m a stubborn man and wasn’t ready to give in easily.

After only a few trips to our local health food store, I became aware of the incredibly lucrative gluten-free & gluten-intolerant retail consumer food market that charges almost unbelievable prices for staple wheat-free products like bread, wraps, cookies and snack bars … $8 for a tiny loaf of bread!! If you walked in to any run-of-the-mill grocery store and were forced to pay that much for a loaf of typical white bread, you’d probably throw a fit or at least insist on speaking to the manager or something, but this is the reality of anyone who suffers from celiac disease, and it became a new personal culinary mission for me.

There are many gluten-free replacements for regular all-purpose flour but as I would soon learn, many of them are invariably accompanied by some form of undesirable after-taste that amplifies the already obvious gluten-free nature of any celiac-friendly baked goods.

The most popular replacement available is without a doubt rice flour, with brown-rice and sweet-rice varieties also available. Next are a host of starches and “flours” which are essentially plant-based products that are ground up sufficiently to have a consistency that at first looks and feels like flour, however used in combination with other typical bread-making ingredients seem to react strangely and also impart flavours and aftertastes that have consistently left me wanting to curl up in the fetal position with a big puffy loaf of preservative-laden commercial white bread.

During all my months of experimentation, it occurred to me that even though I would never be able to completely reproduce the springy elastic properties of gluten, I could at least incorporate a more natural main ingredient that was not an offshoot of some unfamiliar plant-based starch. By so doing I hoped to consequentially reclaim a natural and predictable flavour that did not leave me wanting to avoid eating bread altogether; Liz would eat toast again dammit … and enjoy it … and not pay $8 or even more for the luxury!

Enter corn flour stage left. It’s natural, slightly sweet, very familiar to our taste buds and it’s almost as common (i.e. affordable) as wheat-based flour. Ground finer than cornmeal, corn flour reacts very well when used in bread and pizza doughs and I am now using it almost exclusively for all my baking experiments.

Granted, corn flour is yellow, not white like any standard flour, and of course the resulting dough has a warm yellow glow as you’d expect. For pie shells and pancakes, it actually looks completely normal because these recipes often call for eggs which impart the exact same colour thanks to the yolks. For a standard “white bread” mind you, this colour might not be what you want or expect, but let me just share this with any skeptics out there … if you’ve experimented as much as I have, and if you’ve paid through the nose as much as Liz has … all for the lowly pleasure of just having a sandwich or a piece of toast, I think you might tolerate a little colour in return for the naturally flavourful and affordable pleasure of toasting, dipping, grilling and cramming fresh yummy oven-baked gluten-free bread into your life … without the nasty aftertaste of rice, sorghum or garbonzo to remind you of your celiac-ness.

It has become an absolutely pleasurable weekly ritual now to break out the corn flour on “bread day” and begin whipping up pizza shells, burger buns, loaves of bread, wraps, flat-breads and all manner of baked goods knowing full well that the end result will be yummy, fresh, tasty and good … and most of all gluten-free.

There are still many aspects of gluten-free cooking to consider in order to make quality baked goods, but there is nothing so frustrating as having figured out most of the science of getting the right consistency, texture and aesthetics of an ace recipe only to have your efforts dashed by some nasty lingering aftertaste or questionable flavour … but corn flour is your friend, and it won’t let you down :)

I will continue posting a host of recipes here on the Impulsive Culinarian with the hope that you too will try using corn flour in your baking adventures, let me know how it goes!

Vegetables for my Broth Recipe

Although almost any selection of vegetables will do, here is what I tend to use most often to create a sweet, hearty and flavourful vegetable broth that never disappoints and is a welcome main ingredient in a variety of soups, sauces, stir frys and countless other Impulsive Culinarian dishes.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 large Sweet Potatoes, peeled & cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 large Turnip, peeled & cut into 1 inch cubes
- 6 or 7 Carrots, peeled & cut into 1 inch lengths
- 5 large (or 7 to 8 medium) sized Yellow Onions, peeled & quartered
- 5 or 6 large Celery Stalks washed & cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 4 Tbsp Virgin Olive Oil
- 6 or 7 Garlic Cloves, peeled
- 2 Tbsp whole Peppercorns
- 2 Bay Levaes
- Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400ºF
- Toss sweet potatoes and turnip in 2 Tbsp of the virgin olive oil, a tsp of kosher salt and some fresh ground black pepper then spread them on a baking sheet
- Toss carrots and onions in remaining 2 Tbsp of the virgin olive oil, a tsp of kosher salt and some fresh ground black pepper then spread them on a second baking sheet
- Bake vegetables for approximately 45 minutes or until they begin to char just slightly, tossing at least once after 20 minutes to avoid burning
- Prepare 2 identical bouquets garni adding 3 garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf and 1 Tbsp of peppercorns to each cheesecloth or tea sack and secure them tightly with string
- Put equal halves of all roasted vegetables into 2 similarly sized large pots
- Add equal halves of the chopped celery and a bouquet garni to each of the two pots
- Fill both pots to the brim with water and bring them to a boil
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced by almost half or until broth loses its watered-down flavour
- Pour broth through a strainer and reserve the liquid … freezes well and keeps for several days in the fridge

Enjoy!

Oh baby, when your pantry speaks to you, you just have to listen, and inspiration was practically yelling at me this afternoon when I suddenly became inspired to create a dish that I could truly taste long before the first ingredient even hit the counter.

To be completely honest, my inspiration began earnestly a few days earlier while making my rounds at the bulk barn, it had been some time since I paid the wide variety of rices any respect and so I could not help but indulge in some nutty red wild rice, a hearty brown basmati and some mini black turtle beans … rice and beans, but with no national boundaries … I had a plan and I was going to see it through no matter how many flags I had to unfurl … or burn haha!

After soaking the black beans over night, I simmered them for a couple hours till they were just tender. Boiled my brown and red rices to perfection and reserved the bean water to prepare my white basmati and turn it black … well, darker than the brown basmati anyway.

I heated up a spicy roux in a saute pan using olive oil, tandoori marsala, cayenne pepper, quinoa flour, brown sugar and curry powder then slowly thickened with a generous helping of home made vegetable broth, yum!

Simmering the black beans in my spicy sauce as it reduced, I zested and juiced a lime, chopped a couple scallions and added these to proportionate mix of each of my 3 fun rices.

Peeled and seeded some roma tomatoes, then peeled & diced some kiwis, tossed them with the now thick and aromatic bean mixture and served immediately to get that slight contrast of hot & spicy with little pockets of cold & sweet … I have to say, this was a thoroughly enjoyable meal and would make it again without hesitation … go go rice n beans!

A reliable gluten and dairy free egg replacer recipe using starch that works well in almost any type of dish be it savoury, sweet or otherwise.

This recipe replaces two eggs.

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp potato starch
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup water (just a little less actually)
2 tsp oil

For savoury dishes I recommend using virgin olive oil. For desserts melted coconut oil works well and a more neutral choice like canola would be fine for mild dishes where flavours need to remain unafected.

Wisk everything together thoroughly just before adding to your recipe mixture to avoid clumping and you’re good to go.

TEBO’s DELICIOUS GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE EGG FREE BREAD RECIPE

I’ve long since been a dedicated fan of corn flour in gluten free recipes. Rice flour is commonly used but leaves me with a sour taste, which has led me to refine my own version of gluten free bread as per the following recipe … please try it for yourself and let me know what you think.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup corn flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup millet flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 serving of my egg replacer recipe

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 400 deg. F and lightly grease an 8.5″ x 4.5″ x 2.5″ bread pan (or one that is as close as possible)

Combine 1 cup of hot water and 1/4 cup of cold water in a medium sized mixing bowl. Thoroughly dissolve the 1 tbsp of active dry yeast in the water using a whisk then add a 1/2 tbsp of the brown sugar, whisk again to completely dissolve and set aside in a warm, dry corner of your counter space to let the yeast activate and get foamy.

In a small mixing bowl, prepare 1 serving of my simple egg replacer recipe and set aside.

In yet another small mixing bowl combine the 4 tbsp of virgin olive oil and 1/2 tsp of white wine vinegar and set aside … now that your 3 bowls of wet ingredients are ready to go, it’s time to combine your dry ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the corn flour, potato starch, millet flour, xanthan gum, salt and remaining 1 1/2 tbsp of brown sugar.

By now the yeast mixture should have a nice frothy foam on top, so go ahead and mix all the wet mixtures into the dry ingredient bowl and mix well.

The resulting “dough” should actually be the consistency of cake or muffin batter, which means that there will be no kneading required or even possible.

Pour the entire contents in to your lightly greased bread pan and pop it directly into the 400 deg oven (gasp) … yes that’s right, without even letting it rise!

I’ve tried many versions of this and other gluten free bread recipes and have found that the dough rises beautifully to a wonderful puffy size but sinks and melts instantly when placed in the hot oven. In my frustration I was compelled to thrust the uncooked and un-risen dough into the oven directly and lo and behold success. It seems as though the dough at the center of the uncooked loaf remains cool enough to let a maority of the active yeast do its work and in the end you are rewarded with a beautiful thick loaf of yummy gluten free, dairy free, egg free bread.

Let the bread cook for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. After cooling you should be able to easily remove the loaf from the pan and let cool for another 10 to 20 minutes depending on the ambient room temperature.

The bread is much easier to slice when it is no longer warm. I’ve taken to slicing and freezing the fresh loaves right away (after scamming a couple warm slices first of course). It toasts fairly well but if you’ve never toasted gluten free bread before, don’t be alarmed … it takes 2 to 3 times longer than conventional bread, just keep an eye on it and take note of what setting your toaster needs to be at.

This recipe is the result of many rounds of experimentation and I certainly invite you to modify to your heart’s content … and let me know what happens :)

TEBO’s GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE EGG FREE WRAP RECIPE

There’s no need to pay big money for the simple pleasure of creating home made vegan wraps at home filled with all manner of fresh ingredients. Below is a well-tested recipe for tasty, pliable wraps that will satisfy your hunger for healthy fare.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup corn flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp xantham gum
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 serving of my egg replacer recipe
- 1 1/2 cups water

INSTRUCTIONS
In a large mixing bowl thoroughly combine all of the dry ingredients.

In a small mixing bowl prepare 1 serving of my simple egg replacer recipe.

Ad the egg replacer mixture, white wine vinegar and olive oil to the dry ingredients

Slowly add the 1 1/2 cups of water while mixing thoroughly to ensure consistency. The goal is to add enough liquid to give your mixture a loose crepe batter consistency.

Preheat a large non-stick skillet to medium high heat. Drizzle a little oil before cooking each flatbread and use a large soup serving spoon to deliver consistent amounts of batter to the frying pan.

When adding batter to the hot pan, it often helps to swirl the pan in a slow circular motion to get full coverage and spread the flat bread wrap as thin as possible.

It’s important to resist the temptation to flip the wrap too early. Make sure to brown the wrap at least a little before flipping, and be sure to brown sufficiently on the second side as well before removing from the heat … every stove is different so if you find the wraps are taking a long time to brown, don’t be shy to turn up the heat a little. There’s always a sweet spot on electric stove tops where you get the heat as high as possible but stop just before it stays on all the time and turns bright red.

The wraps freeze well, either store them flat or roll them in your favourite frezer treatment to save space.

Let me know how yours turn out!