I like to think Rochester is one of the best places for grocery selection. We have Wegmans, Tops, Walmart Super Centers, Trader Joe’s, Lori’s Natural Foods, numerous small independent grocery stores and Whole Foods is coming soon; so you would really think among them there would be one chicken or vegetable broth that would be IBS and GERD friendly, right? Nope! Trader Joe’s was really the most disappointing. I thought for sure they would come through, but alas they did not. The problem is they all contain garlic powder or onion powder (or, usually, both) or straight up garlic and/or onion. Not to mention some don’t list what their “trace” ingredients are, but you can probably assume they include garlic and onion. Now I don’t believe it’s a huge amount, but for people suffering from severe GERD and/or IBS (as I do), a little is all it takes to cause some pretty unpleasant symptoms.
One of the biggest challenges in eating with these conditions is figuring out how to infuse flavor given all of the restrictions, especially without being able to use the big ticket flavor boosters onion and garlic. The easiest way to add some flavor to dishes would be broth, so not having an acceptable broth was, well, unacceptable. Honestly, after discovering how easy it is to make your own, though, I felt silly for never having done it before (and throwing away money buying the premade stuff).
To make it, all you have to do is wash any visible dirt off the veggies and herbs (no need to peel/chop them, just possible chop some in half to make them fit in the pot), throw them in the pot, cover with water and cook. It really is that simple! Then simply strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth when done and you’ve got yourself a flavor packed broth to be used in all your cooking.
Caroline Loudon
Thank you! . My husband cannot tolerate onion, garlic, leeks etc, and I love cooking. It’s a challenge, but I enjoy trying to make recipes work . Great to stumble across this site
kalosalethe
Hi Caroline! I apologize, I did not see this comment until now. It seems my spam filter was doing strange things and blocking things it shouldn’t have been blocking. I’m so glad you’re finding some helpful ideas on here for your husband!
Teri
Hi! My husband has crohns and I’ve realized that every broth has garlic and onion! I’m so glad I came across this. Have you ever tried doing this in an instant pot? I just bought one and wanted to try this recipe. Also any ideas on how to a chicken broth? Any help is appreciated!
kalosalethe
Hi Teri! Isn’t is amazing how every single broth on the market contains onion and/or garlic?! I remember being stunned that I couldn’t find any brand anywhere that didn’t.
By instant pot do you mean a crock pot / slow cooker? If so, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work in there. You’d just do the same thing, probably cooking on high and adding additional liquid throughout the cooking process if needed. I’m not sure how long it would take in there since I’ve never made it that way, but just taste it along the way until it tastes good.
If you’re talking about a pressure cooker then I’m really not sure how to make broth in there. I’ve actually never cooked in a pressure cooker, but it’s on my list of future kitchen gadgets! I did a google search for “broth in instant pot” and it seemed there were quite a few good results. You could probably tweak one of those to use the ingredients here and follow them for the time.
As for turning it into a chicken broth, the easiest way to do this would be to throw some bone-in chicken breasts (probably 2-3 large ones) while cooking. If doing this, make sure the broth cooks to where the chicken is fully cooked (internal temperature of at least 165 degrees). Once done, you can remove the chicken meat from the bones and use for chicken salad or chicken tacos or something.
I hope that helps!
Teri
For the veg broth should the dutch oven be covered when boiling?
kalosalethe
Hi Teri – I don’t cover the pot, usually because it’s so full. You could probably go either way, just make sure to watch it in the beginning to make sure it isn’t boiling over and add additional water during cooking, as needed.
JoAnn
This is SO great! I don’t have IBS or Crohn’s, but have a HUGE allergy to onion. It’s so bad that if I get anything with onion in my mouth, I will vomit before I could swallow it, and the muscular contractions from my stomach go on long after everything has been expelled from my stomach. This is gross, and I apologize, but I think you’re familiar with gross. Thanks so much for your recipe.
kalosalethe
Hi JoAnn! Yes, I am definitely familiar with gross so no worries there! I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe! It was definitely a huge game changer for me when I started making my own broth. I just couldn’t believe how many hidden (bad) ingredients are in the broths you can buy at the store. I like to think this can work for anyone because it’s completely up to you what veggies you throw in. Make sure to check out the other “digestion friendly” recipes here on the blog too!