10 Minute Miso Soup with Soba Noodles

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Prep time: 5 min - Cook time: 5 min

Ingredients

3 ounces dried soba noodles
2 - 4 tablespoons miso paste (to taste)
2 - 3 ounces firm tofu (2 handfuls), chopped into 1/3-inch cubes
2 green onions, tops removed thinly sliced

Optional:
a handful of watercress or spinach, well washed and stems trimmed

a small handful of cilantro
a pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions

Cook the soba noodles in salted water, drain, and run cold water over the noodles to stop them from cooking. Shake off any excess water and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and remove from heat. 

In a small bowl, whisk the miso paste with small amounts of boiling water from your pot, adding more as you go so it thins out slowly and avoids clumping.

Stir the mixture back into the pot. Taste, and then add more (the same way) a bit at a time until it is to your liking. Also, some miso pastes are less-salty than others, so you may need to add a bit of salt here. 

Add the tofu, remove from the heat, and let it sit for just a minute or so.

Split the noodles between two (or three) bowls, and pour the miso broth and tofu over them. 

Add your preferred toppings, watercress, green onions, cilantro, or red pepper flakes, and enjoy.

Serves 2 - 3.

Miso Tahini Soup

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

INGREDIENTS

orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, one per person
olive oil (see below)
Spicy Dipping Sauce with Sriracha (optional, but good)

Seasoning Mix Ingredients:
(You'll want to make this over and over so my recipe makes enough spice mix for several batches.)
2 T ground coriander
1 T ground fennel
1 T dried oregano (use any Mediterranean oregano like Greek Oregano or Turkish oregano, but not Mexican oregano for this.)
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
2 T kosher salt
- See more at: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/10/spicy-sweet-potatoes-fries-recipe.html#sthash.vUtPwU9L.dpuf

orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, one per person
olive oil (see below)
Spicy Dipping Sauce with Sriracha (optional, but good)

Seasoning Mix Ingredients:
(You'll want to make this over and over so my recipe makes enough spice mix for several batches.)
2 T ground coriander
1 T ground fennel
1 T dried oregano (use any Mediterranean oregano like Greek Oregano or Turkish oregano, but not Mexican oregano for this.)
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
2 T kosher salt
- See more at: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2007/10/spicy-sweet-potatoes-fries-recipe.html#sthash.vUtPwU9L.dpuf

1 small-medium delicata squash (or any winter squash), seeded and sliced into 1/4-inch crescents
1 medium white turnip, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
4 cups water
4 tablespoons white miso, or to taste
1/4 cup tahini
zest of one lemon
3 cups of cooked brown rice
1 avocado, sliced
1 bunch of chives, minced
toasted nori (or kale), crumbled, for serving
toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

Add the squash and turnips to a large pot, cover with the water, and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool just a bit.

Pour a few tablespoons of the hot water into a small bowl and whisk in the miso until blended. Stir the thinned miso back into the pot along with the tahini, and lemon zest. Taste, and adjust the broth to your liking.

To serve, place a generous scoop of rice in each bowl along with some of the squash and turnips. Ladle broth over the vegetables, and finish with a few slices of avocado, a sprinkling of chives, toasted nori, and sesame seeds.

If you have leftovers and need to reheat the soup, you'll want to do so gently, over low heat, to preserve the qualities of the miso. Don't boil the miso.

Serves 4.

Save Your Soup Stock!

The days have been sunny and crisp and the leaves are really starting to fall. It's autumn! We're in the thick of fall right now and what we want to know is - do you save your scraps to make soup stock?

We're heading into the depths of soup season. Soup is one of those magical foods that can be made in a million ways, but at its heart it always contains a good, seasoned stock. You can buy that stock (or broth) when you need it but you can also make it at home! If you're a meat eater, you probably already know the virtues of boiling chicken carcasses, but did you know that you can use the same trick for veggies?

Here's how: grab a plastic bag (ziploc or shopping bag) or a container that can fit into your freezer easily. Keep it on hand when you're chopping veggies for a stir fry, making a salad, or using some onion in your morning omelet. Everything you don't use in the meal you're immediately making? Put into that freezer bag. That includes carrot tops, onion ends, herb stems, parsley that's just not fresh enough to eat, well, fresh but still fine to boil-- put it all in. Leave out anything that's moldy, but otherwise if it's a scrap, it can be used to make stock.

Collect your scraps over the week instead of sending those bits out to the compost and at the end of the week, dump it all into a big pot, add water and salt (if you want) and boil it for several hours, until the veggies are so soft they're falling apart and the water is darkened and deeply flavoured. Bonus: your house will smell amazing all afternoon.

Strain out the solid matter (now you get to compost it!) and save the stock you just made by either storing it in the fridge for up to a few days or by freezing it. Voila! Next time you need some broth, just reach into your freezer and defrost a container. If you go through a lot of vegetables, you can make stock on a weekly basis and ensure you always have some around when you need it.

Use your tasty homemade stock to add to soups, stews, risotto, casseroles-- you name it! There is no end to its usefulness.

Some strong-flavoured vegetables can overpower homemade stock to make sure you want your soups to taste like cabbage, for instance, before adding anything in the cabbage family. Everything else is pretty easy-going. Do not add any green parts from plant in the nightshade family (tomato, pepper, potato, eggplant, etc) as those parts contain toxins that are harmful to your system. Never use anything that has black mold on it or any rotten meat parts.

White Bean and Escarole Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 15 oz. cans of Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
18 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1 large head of escarole

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil over medium head in a medium saucepan. Add onion and saute for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add in the beans and mix together. Remove from heat.

Place garlic cloves in a small saucepan and add water just to cover the garlic.  Simmer gently over medium heat until the garlic becomes very soft. Drain and set aside.

Puree the beans and onion in small batches to the consistency of thick cream.

Place puree in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Add in escarole and poached garlic to the soup and cook until escarole is wilted.

Serves 6.

Autumn Wild Rice and Cauliflower Soup

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup celery, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup flour

4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth

2 cups wild rice, cooked

2 cups cauliflower florets, cooked

1 cup cream

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add the sliced celery and mushrooms. Sauté until tender. Dust the celery and mushrooms with flour and stir to coat well. Gradually stir in the vegetable or chicken broth to avoid clumping. Stir constantly until thickened. Add in cooked wild rice, cooked cauliflower and cream. Blend well. Cook gently on low heat until soup is fully heated. Do Not Boil.

Serves 6 to 8.

Curried Autumn Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp butter
1/2 yellow or white onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 1/2 Tbsp powdered curry
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp sea salt
3 3/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup cream or milk
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Sour cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter. Once melted, add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add ginger and curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add apples, potato, salt, and broth. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook until potato is tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.

Working in batches if necessary, puree the soup until just barely smooth. Return soup to saucepan and stir in the cream or milk and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place over medium heat until soup is just heated through; do not let it boil. Divide soup among serving bowls and garnish with sour cream if desired.

Egg Drop Soup

INGREDIENTS

6 cups broth
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, green parts only
1/4 cup fresh baby spinach or arugula, coarsely chopped
4 large dried mushrooms, reconstituted and thinly sliced
1 tsp tamari
1/8 tsp ground pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Sea salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer.

Add 6 tablespoons of the green onions, the spinach or arugula, mushrooms, tamari, and pepper. Return to a low simmer and cook for 3 minutes.

Stirring with a fork, gradually add the eggs in a slow steady stream. Cook until the eggs are set, stirring to create shreds or ribbons of the eggs, 1 minute. Remove saucepan from the heat.

Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with remaining green onions.

Season with salt to taste and serve immediately.

Cream of Mango Soup

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs, well beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
Juice & grated rind of 1 lemon
1 mango, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cups whipping cream
3 cups milk
Blueberries & coarsely chopped strawberries for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and rind and the chopped mango in a food processor and process until smooth.

Whisk whipping cream and milk together in a large bowl until frothy. Slowly add mango mixture, whisking constantly. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, about one hour.

To serve, ladle into chilled bowls and garnish with blueberries and chopped strawberries.

About Miso

Ah, February in Vancouver: grey and wet with chances of grey and cold. Whether the cold comes with snow or rain, or some awful blend of both, it is a good season for soup.

Miso is thought to have been introduced to Japan from China around 1,300 years ago. Miso was originally a prized food available only to the nobility, who used it more often as a side dish for rice or as a medicine than as a soup base. Today miso is an essential part of the Japanese diet, but that came about only after miso became popular in soup, and after the warrior class during the Kamakura period (1185–1333) established the custom of having simple meals consisting of rice, one kind of soup and one other dish of fish or vegetables.

Partial fermentation sets miso apart from other fermented soy foods like soy sauce. Partial fermentation produces peptides, compounds produced as proteins are gradually broken down into amino acids during fermentation. Absent from boiled beans and present only in limited amounts in soy sauce, peptides are found in abundance in miso, and they are thought to be good for reducing high blood pressure and lowering cholesterol.

Miso's main ingredient, soybeans, are filled with high quality protein. Fermentation of soybeans generates a great deal of vitamins and amino acids. Miso also contains nutrients such as kalium, magnesium, and fiber.

Miso is a naturally preserved food and will keep up to a year in the fridge, making it ideal to have on hand for a quick hot meal.

To make a quick (but not entirely traditional) miso soup, just dilute vegetable broth or chicken broth with water (about one part broth to two parts water). Bring to a boil, then turn the heat off under the broth. In a separate bowl, whisk together miso paste (about 1/2 a cup for every four cups of broth/water) with an equal amount of the hot broth/water. Add the diluted miso to your soup pot and stir to combine. Serve hot.

You don't ever want to boil miso, as it will become gritty if it is overcooked. If you want to add vegetables or udon or soba noodles to your soup, simmer them in the broth-water prior to adding the miso. You can also toss in diced tofu and thin slices of green onion with the miso.

Green Earth Organics carries Hikari Organic Miso in two varieties: White Miso, which has a mellow flavour, and Red Miso, which is richer in colour and taste. Both are $6.79 for 750 grams.

Creamy Yam Soup

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 small celery stalks, chopped
1 medium leek, sliced (white and pale green parts only)
1 large garlic clove, chopped
5 cups cubed, peeled yams
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups cereal cream
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped celery stalks and leek, and then saute for about 5 more minutes. Finally, add the garlic and saute 2 minutes.

Add yams, vegetable broth, cinnamon stick, and nutmeg to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, until the yams are tender.

Discard the cinnamon stick. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Return blended soup to the pot.

Add the cream and maple syrup and heat at medium-low, stirring constantly. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Serves 6 to 8.

Chilled Strawberry Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 lb fresh strawberries
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp fresh grated ginger

DIRECTIONS

Process strawberries, orange juice, sugar, lime juice, and ginger in a food processor or blender until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to chill thoroughly.

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 cantaloupe
2 cups orange juice
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Peel, seed, and cube the cantaloupe.

In a food processor or blender, process cantaloupe cubes and all remaining ingredients until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the flavours to meld.

Split Pea Soup

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of green split peas, sorted and rinsed
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
1 tsp liquid smoke

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, bring 6 cups of cold water and the split peas to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1.5 hours, until the split peas are tender.

Add another 4 cups of water, the carrots, and the onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for another 0.5 hour, until the carrots are soft. Add the salt and liquid smoke.

Cool slightly. Puree in a blender until smooth. If you are blending in batches, stir very well first, to make sure the first batch isn't much thinner than the others.

This freezes very well.

Creamy Spinach Soup

INGREDIENTS

70 grams (about 1/4 package) whole wheat couscous
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (or more, to taste)
1 medium onion, chopped
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pint chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 lb baby spinach
118 mL whipping cream
Chile powder, to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Cook the couscous according to package directions.

While the couscous is cooking, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened. Do not allow to brown.

Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the spinach in bunches until it all wilts. Add the whipping cream and simmer for a few minutes. Add additional salt and pepper if need be. Add the cooked and drained couscous and chile powder (if using), and serve hot.

Avocado Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium avocado
2 tsp tamari
1 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 cup of water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Sea salt
Cilantro, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion until it is translucent, then set aside.

Peel avocado and remove the pit. Combine the onion, avocado, tamari, broth, water, and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and blend well. When the mixture is smooth, pour back into the saucepan and let it come to a boil. Simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. Add salt to taste and serve immediately, garnished with cilantro if using.

Russet Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, medium dice
1 leek, halved, washed, thin sliced
4 celery spears, thin sliced
1 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 carton vegetable broth
4 russet potatoes, large dice
2 Tbsp parsley or chives, coarse chop (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, leeks, and celery and saute till the onion is translucent in color.
Add the celery seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper and stir well.

Add 4 cups of water and the vegetable broth to the pot with the onions, leeks and celery and turn the burner on high. Add the diced potatoes. Once the pot comes to a boil, turn the burner to medium and cook till the potatoes are tender when poked with a fork.

Blend until smooth and creamy in a blender or food processor. Return to pot to reheat if needed. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with parsley or chives if desired.

Taste and add sea salt or black pepper to taste.

Potato and Spinach Stew

A bit of a cross between a soup and a stew. Good to serve as a starter.

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled but whole
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
5 Tbsp breadcrumbs
A little saffron (optional)
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Put the spinach in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and cook for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Then put the 2 cloves of whole garlic into the oil and fry them until they turn a golden brown colour. Remove them from the oil and set aside. Add the chopped onion to the oil and fry, stirring frequently, until the onion goes transparent - this should take about 5 minutes.

In the meantime, crushed the cooked garlic cloves.

Add the cooked spinach and the potatoes to the frying pan. Add enough water to cover the mixture. Add the bread crumbs, saffron, and the crushed garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste, then cover the frying pan. Cook this over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.

Serve in soup bowls with crusty bread.

Hearty Lentil Soup

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 leek, sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 parsnip, scrubbed and diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed
1/2 can crushed tomatoes
3 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 dash tamari
2 tsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, leek, carrot, parsnip, potato, and celery. Cook until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.

Add lentils, tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, tamari, Worcestershire sauce, and wine to the saucepan. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked.

Remove the bay leaves from the soup. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

INGREDIENTS

5 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8 tsp dried thyme
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup cream
1 Tbsp sherry or red wine (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a large heavy saucepan, cook mushrooms in the broth with onion and thyme until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, puree the mixture, leaving some chunks of vegetable in it. Set aside.

In the saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, cream, and vegetable puree. Stirring constantly, bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste and add sherry if using.

Bell Pepper Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 large bell peppers, any colour, seeded and diced
1 medium potato
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 - 2 cups vegetable broth

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the olive oil in the large saucepan. Add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients except the broth and bring to a simmer.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are tender, about 1 hour.

Puree the soup in a blender (in batches if necessary). Meanwhile, put the broth in the small saucepan and bring to a simmer.

Return the soup to the saucepan, stir in the broth (use more for a thinner soup), and season to taste.

Serve hot or cold, with sour cream, plain yogurt, chives, dill, and/or scallions.