THE Vegetable Broth Recipe After Pregnancy

This restorative broth is gentle on your digestive system and packed with immune boosting properties – Needed after you’ve exhausted all of your energy having a baby, and especially if you are also healing from a C Section. Soup is THE best meal after delivery. Quick and easy to sip on it like tea throughout your day.

The ladies at BellyLuv and C Section Recovery Kit have selected this recipe, a belly band, and massage techniques as your top choices for a healthy postpartum recovery kit.

When food is easily digested, the body can focus on healing. Proper nutrients build healthy breast milk and a healthy mama.

The soup lasts for up to 3 months in the freezer, so you can make yourself this healthy, deep flavor broth before baby arrives. Also a great gift for a pregnant friend or relative!

Rich Vegetable Stock (Salt-Free)

Yield: 12 cups

¼ pound dried white beans, soaked

¼ cup oil (olive oil is a good choice because it will harden in the refrigerator and can be easily removed to decrease the stock)

7 large carrots, sliced

3 large onions, sliced

2 large leeks, sliced

¼ pound mushrooms, preferably not too fresh, sliced

6 large cloves garlic, sliced

4 quarts water

Bouquet garni:

6 sprigs parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

½ teaspoon crushed dried sage

1 large bay leaf

12 black peppercorns

12 allsprice berries

1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar

½ cup white wine, mirin, or vermouth (optional)

Instructions

1. Drain the beans and tie them into a large square of cheesecloth to make them easier to retrieve later. Set aside.
2. In a large soup pot, heat the oil and sauté the vegetables over medium heat until wilted. Do not let them brown.
3. Add the water, beans, and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 2 hours. At the end of this time the liquid should have reduced slightly. Remove the beans and add the vinegar and wine and simmer for another 30 minutes.
4. Allow the stock to cool, remove the tied herbs, and strain the stock through a sieve lined cheesecloth.
5. If the stock is not to be used immediately, store it in glass bottles in the refrigerator. When it is well chilled, skim the oil off the top if you wish. The stock will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks if it is brought back to a boil every few days, or for up to 3 months in the freezer.