Spice Up Your Bone Broth
Today I want to talk about bone broth, have you heard of it? I won't lie, the first time I heard of 'bone broth', I was a little thrown by the name. Bone broth, wt* is that?! haha (For real though, I'd never heard of it before!) Fast forward a bit and I'm hooked! Despite the name 'bone broth' that might make you scratch your head in confusion, bone broth is in fact very simple and has been used for thousands of years to help with a myriad of ailments.
Bone broth is made from the bones, marrow and other parts of the animal that can't be eaten directly. Instead, they're boiled and simmered for looong periods of time (at Bo and Marrow they simmer their broths for 30-48 hours!) to release the beneficial compounds such as collagen, glycosaminoglycans, glucosamine, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate and other minerals and electrolytes that are SO beneficial in a number of ways. Think of how many expensive vitamins or supplements you see with these ingredients in them, with bone broth you're getting these compounds directly through a source that's easy for your body to absorb and retain the benefits immediately!
Because of these magical compounds bone broth is incredible for digestion, overall gut health, joints, hair, skin, nails, and your overall energy. Collagen is incredible for your skin and is also known as an incredible anti-cellulite treatment.
Now, there's a big difference between the 'chicken stock' you'll see at the grocery store and true bone broth. Bone broth has all of the goodness and nutritional benefits that a lot of stock doesn't have and thankfully for those of us in Edmonton (and now Vancouver!), we have Bo and Marrow to turn to for our bone broth needs.
The first time I tried Bo and Marrow was when they had a broth bar set up with a multitude of mixins of everything from cocoa (yes, you can make bone broth cocoa!) to spices, coconut milk and more and I loved it! When I ordered my first few bags from SPUD (use code CREDM-TIDDIA for $20 in free groceries on your first order!) I sipped them plain and while I enjoyed the taste I wished that it had a little more somethin' somethin' to it.
So, enter the bone broth tszuj-ing that I now live off of...
Here's how I prepare mine & what you'll need:
1/3-1/2 pkg of bone broth (the Bo and Marrow chicken is my fave but I really want to try their mushroom broth!)
1/2 - 1 clove of garlic
1 green onion
1 tbsp tomato paste
Few slices of ginger
Pinch of chili flakes to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime
Cilantro to taste
Begin by pouring 1/3-1/2 of the broth into a pan with the stovetop on medium. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and tomato paste and stir. Simmer until heated and add the green onion, lime juice and cilantro for a few minutes then serve. You can either strain then serve or serve with all of the fixins in the soup, whichever you prefer is fine! I've listed the approx amounts of each ingredient that I use but feel free to adjust to your taste!
I've become totally hooked on this warm and soothing broth and have been trying to sip on bone broth at least a few times per week as a nourishing afternoon pick me up. I'd love to know if you use bone broth and if so, if you sip on it on it's own or use it in a recipe - let me know in the comments below!
