Burdock Vegetable Stew

It has been pretty chilly in Los Angeles for the past few days, so this afternoon I cooked up a hearty (100% vegan) vegetable stew to enjoy throughout the next few days. Though I didn't use a store-bought vegetable broth, I wanted to ensure that the stew was still very flavorful (minus the sodium/preservatives) so I opted to use a burdock infusion as the base. 

Burdock is a bitter root heralded for its blood purifying abilities and also serves as a great way to deal with digestive issues. I opted to use it as an end-of-the-year cleanser to assist my body in the detoxification process for the new year. 

2 cups of freshly infused "burdock broth" 

1 Japanese sweet Potato

2 carrots 

1/2 onion 

1 medjool pitted date 

1 garlic clove 

5 cloves

5 bay leaves 

3 tbsp of cooking oil 

5 tsp cayenne pepper (i like spice!)

2 tsp salt

To start, I made a burdock tea infusion and let it steep for about 30 minutes. This will serve as the herbal broth and should be set aside for later.

Chop the carrots, sweet potatoes into hefty cube like sizes. The onions can undergo a jardiniere cut, while the garlic is minced as finely as possible.

Add 3 tbsp of any cooking oil of your preference to a decent-sized stew pot and allow for it to come to a simmer on medium heat. 

Once the oil comes to a simmer, add in bay leaves, cloves, and the minced garlic and allow for it to simmer for no more than 30 seconds.

Next, add the carrots, onions, and sweet potatoes to the pot allow for the vegetables to cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes. 

*If you opt to use leafy vegetables such as cabbage or kale they should be added last*

Add in the herbal "broth", stirring the stew until it covers the vegetables completely. 

Add in salt, cayenne pepper for flavor.

 For some sweetness, add in finely chopped medjool dates. 

 Place a lid on top of the pot and allow for it to simmer on low-medium heat for 20 minutes. 

It was an extremely fragrant dish and very delicious. The vegetables really complimented  the burdock "broth", and the occasional bite of clove and dates added an element of holiday sweetness.

Enjoy!