Bone broth seems to have made their way back into the public eye a few years ago but they have been a staple in traditional diets of virtually every culture since the brink of human existence!
Bone broths are not only versatile in cooking, but are a true healing food jam-packed with bio-available nutrients like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, glucosamine, chondroitin, glutamine, gelatin, proline, glycine and animo acids.
Broths can be made with any animal bones, tendons, ligaments, skin and feet! Varying broth components will aid in creating a more robust nutrient (and flavor) profile.
While there are endless ways you can make bone broths, I like to keep it simple combining just bones and filtered water, as a plain base that can be converted and utilized in many ways.
Here's a short run down of my *stupid-simple* grass-fed beef marrow broth, which I utilized to create: Broth Cubes for the dogs, Tallow for high-fat cooking, comforting bone broth lattes to sip on, and a nutrient dense Beet Soup/Gazpacho (which can be adjusted to your preference).
Plain-Jane Broth Recipe
Ingredients:
2-3 Grass-fed Beef Marrow + Joint Bones (I only had marrow available on this day!)
6-8 Cups Filtered Water (I HIGHLY recommend investing in a Berkey Water filter!)
Instructions:
Roast bones in oven for 5-10 minutes on low heat (325-350 F) *Optional but adds a little more flavor!
Put bones into a crockpot or instant pot and add filtered water (enough to fully immerse bones)
Set Crockpot to HIGH for 1 hours or Instant Pot to Broth/Soup (High pressure) for the duration of the setting (typically about 30 minutes).
Change crockpot or instant pot to Slow Cook on LOW for 20-24 hours
Once the broth is done cooking, strain using cheesecloth or a fine wire strainer
Let broth cool to room temperature, then move to refrigerator to let the tallow (fat that rises to the top) solidify.
You can keep the broth refrigerated to consume in 3-4 days or freeze it for future use.
For Doggo meal and snack cubes, and to freeze in small quantities as needed for recipes, check out these "Souper Cube" trays!
When consuming broth for it's gut-healing health benefits, I like to make sure my broth has some healthy fat in it to transport nutrients, and add some delicious frothiness! The simplest way to do this is to keep the tallow that solidifies on top (or maybe just some of it if you broth provides a hefty amount!), and blend it with the broth to create a creamy foam on top.
Another way to enjoy a creamier broth, is to make it into a healing latte!
Bone Broth Latte
Ingredients:
1 Cup Bone broth
1 TB Tallow, Grass-fed butter, Ghee, or Coconut Oil
Dash of Real Sea Salt
1/4 Cup Raw Grass-fed Whole Milk or Full Fat Coconut Milk (Optional but tasty additions)
Instructions:
Heat broth to desired temperature
Add in desired fat and blend for 5-10 seconds (or use a fancy frother!)
Pour into a mug or bowl and enjoy!
Finally, I wanted to share one of my go-to *stupid-simple* soup recipes that I love for overall digestive support. This beet soup has just 4 ingredients and combines the gut-healing benefits of bone broth, with beets that support biliary function (gallbladder function), and avocados - giving us a healthy dose of vitamin K, potassium, folate and healthy fats.
Beet & Broth Soup
Ingredients:
3 Medium/Large Beets, roasted until soft and peeled*
1 Whole Ripe Avocado (no brown spots or dark strings - throw those ones out!)
1/2 Tsp Real Sea Salt
2 Cups Bone Broth
Instructions:
Roast beets in oven until soft (I cover them in tin foil, and roast them at 425 for 45-60 minutes, depending on their size).
Let beets cool, remove the skin and add half to a blender
Add 1/2 avocado, 1 cup broth and 1/4 tsp sea salt to blender and blend on high until no chunks remain.
Move mixture to a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients to the blender
Blend until smooth, add to bowl, and enjoy either warm or cool!
*If you like your soup thicker, use larger beets, if you prefer a thinner soup, use less beets and more broth.
There are sooooo many ways to enjoy bone broth, and we would love to hear your favorites below! I first got introduced to bone broth through a Naturopathic doctor that I worked with to help me revitalize my health after years of self harm via an eating disorder. In the beginning phases of our journey, he had me do a bone both fast. This was ALSO the first time I had ever heard of fasting, as a health benefit! As it turns out, periods of feast and famine were also regular occurrences in an ancestral diet and way of living. While there are many variations of fasting that have differentiating benefits, take a look at our next blog post to get a deeper understanding of why its benefits for us all to intentionally fast from time to time!
Thank you for being here! Sending you love. Kathleen.