This wonderful winter weightloss comfort food – done three different ways! – can really squash those cravings. If you’re constantly battling the urge to overeat, the most likely culprit isn’t a lack of willpower. It’s a hormone called leptin. Although its takes time to reverse leptin resistance, you can begin the reversal by keeping your fridge filled with healthful low-carb foods you can grab when the munchies strike. 

Prep time: 10 - 20 min • Cook time: 12 to 24 hrs  •  Yield: depends on the size of your crockpot; approx. 10 to 12 cups

Equipment

• Slow cooker/crock pot; you can also do this on the stovetop

• 4 unpeeled carrots, scrubbed and cut into rounds
• 2 stalks celery, including leafy part, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium tomato, cut in half
• 1 clove (the spice)
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 3 ½ pounds grass-fed beef bones (preferably joints and knuckles)
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1. Place all the vegetables, clove, garlic, bones, and bay leaves into a slow cooker. Sprinkle on the salt, drizzle with vinegar, and add enough water to cover everything by at least one inch.
2. Cook for 12 to 24 hours on low.
3. As the broth cooks, use a shallow spoon to carefully skim the film off the top of the broth. When done, optionally, pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids and bones. Taste the broth and add more salt as needed.
4. The broth will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in your freezer.

Variations With Cabbage and Dill Cooked cabbage adds a pleasant sweetness to the broth 

Additional Ingredients

• About 4 cups of green cabbage, sliced as you would for coleslaw
• 2 to 3 teaspoons dried dill
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste

1. About 2 hours before you turn off the broth, add the cabbage, dill, and pepper.

Note When I do this, I don’t discard the other vegetables from the broth, but I do remove the bones.

With Caramelized Onions and Shitake Mushrooms Caramelized onions add a richness and sweetness much like French onion soup, while the mushrooms compliment them with a woodsy, earthy flavor

Additional Ingredients

• 4 to 5 large sweet onions, sliced into 1/8-inch slices
• 1 pound fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (5 teaspoons) coconut oil, separated
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons (5 teaspoons) ghee, separated
• Parsley for garnish (optional)
• Salt to taste

1. Add 1 tablespoon coconut oil and 1 tablespoon ghee to a large, flat-bottomed sauté pan or Dutch oven and place over medium-low heat. (You may need to use two pans if you are caramelizing all the onions at once.)
2. When the oil/butter mixture is shimmering, add the onions, and cook very slowly for about 45 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. The onions should be golden and brown in color, much reduced from where you started, and very soft but not mushy. Remove onions from pan and deglaze the pan by adding 1 to 2 ladles of broth, raise the heat to simmer, and gently scrape off any remaining onions. Add broth from the deglazed pan back to the crock pot of broth.
4. Using the same sauté pan, add 2 teaspoons coconut oil and 2 teaspoons ghee, and sauté the shitake mushrooms on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until they begin to turn golden.
5. Add the onions and mushrooms to the broth for the last 15 to 20 minutes of cooking.  Optionally top with chopped parsley.

Note Caramelizing onions brings out their natural sugars, but the process cannot be rushed. Don’t turn up the heat or cover the pan.

With Roasted Root Vegetables Roasting root vegetables creates a warming, hearty addition to your broth

Additional Ingredients

• 2 medium yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 parsnips cut into ½ -inch rounds
• ½ acorn or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 small rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 leeks, cut into ¼ to ½ -inch rounds (use the white and very pale green part only)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• ½ teaspoon dry or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• Salt to taste
• Parsley for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
2. Put vegetables on a sheet pan, add coconut oil, thyme, and salt and toss to coat. Bake for 20 minutes and check for doneness.
3. Remove from oven if done. If not, check every 3 to 5 minutes until done. It may take up to 30 minutes. Vegetables should be tender but not mushy.
4. Add vegetables to broth and serve immediately. Optionally top with chopped parsley.

Note You can vary the vegetables based on what you like. This is a very warming and satisfying soup on a cold winter’s day.

Another option for all these variations is to make a smaller portion of the additional ingredients and add them to the broth just before serving if you prefer not to have a kettle of the same flavor.