Roasted Vegetable Stock

1 Whole Head of Garlic
1 Large Onion, quartered
2 Large Carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 Large Parsnip, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 Large Stalk of Celery, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 Large Turnip, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 cup Fresh Parsley Leaves
2 Bay Leaves
1/2-1 tsp Peppercorns, whole
1 Tbsp Lite Soy Sauce
7 Cups Water

Roast the garlic and vegetables at the same time. Peel off only the outer, very papery skin of the garlic. Use a sharp knife to cut about 1/2 inch off the top (pointy end) of the head. Place it cut-side up in a oven-proof dish about the same size as the garlic or one opening of a muffin tin. Spray the cut surface with a bit of no-stick cooking spray. Cover it tightly with foil, and place it in a 450F oven. Bake it for 30 minutes, remove the cover, and bake for about 10-15 more--you will see the cloves begin to rise out of their paper a little. Allow to cool, and squeeze or scrape the roasted garlic out of the skins, into a small dish.
Roast all of the vegetables, turning occasionally for approx 30 minutes in a shallow roasting pan lightly sprayed with no-stick coooking spray.

Transfer the vegetables and garlic to a large stock pot or slow cooker. Add the parsley, bay leaves, peppercorns and soy sauce. Simmer for 1 hour or all day in the slow cooker. Strain out the vegetables. If a thicker stock is desired, remove the bay leaves and discard, then puree and add back some of the vegetables.

Makes approx 8 cups of stock

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user BGPABGPA.