Miso Soup

So I made this tonight because 1. it is my husband's favorite, and 2. it is so healthy for you and i never even knew it!!! I am copying and pasting from the website at the bottom because she does such an amazing job explaining why miso soup is so good for your body! Instead of wakame I just used the seaweed that you use for sushi, and cut the big sheets up into little slivers and threw them into the soup. You can really add anything that you want!!

"Miso soup is one of my favorite soups and it’s even healthier when you make it yourself. Okinawans, the people who are known for living long, healthy lives, even past 100 years old, drink miso soup every morning. Miso, which is made of fermented soybean paste, contains living enzymes that help you digest. So it makes perfect sense to start the day with a bowl of miso soup to get your body ready for digesting food throughout the day. Miso is also rich in beta carotene, protein, protects against radiation damage, and inhibits cancer. Seaweed has protein, iodine, calcium, vitamin A, iron, and antioxidants. Tofu balances hormones and has anti-cancer properties.

This miso soup recipe is so easy to make, you can make it in 10 minutes! I make miso soup every week and always prepare a big batch so that I can reheat the soup for the next 2 days. The measurements below are just a guide. You can put as much or as little tofu, green onions, and seaweed as you want. All you need to remember is that the ratio for miso and water is 1 tablespoon of miso paste per 1 cup of water. And 1 cup of water is enough for 1 serving or person. When you make miso soup, don’t boil the miso because boiling it will kill the enzymes.

For 4 servings of Miso Soup :

4 cups of water
2 stalks of green onions, thinly sliced
1 package of medium or regular tofu, cubed
4 teaspoons of dried wakame (pronounced “wa kaw may”) flakes
(sometimes packaged as “healthy sea vegetable”)
4 tablespoons of white miso paste

1. Start boiling 3 cups of water in a pot.

2. Soak wakame flakes in a bowl of cold water until they expand, about a few minutes.

3. Add thinly sliced green onions and cubed tofu into the pot of water. I usually add this into the water, even if it has not begun boiling yet

4. Drain the wakame flakes and add to the boiling water.

5. In a separate bowl, add miso paste to a cup of water. Whisk miso paste until it dissolves.

6. Turn off the boiling water and add the whisked miso paste. Mix well and enjoy!

*When reheating, heat the soup while stirring until it begins to boil, then turn off the heat. The miso soup will be heated thoroughly."

From: http://www.yummysf.com/miso-soup-recipe/

Pumpkin Soup

So I made this tonight for dinner and it was sooo yummy. I have been on such a soup kick since I made the butternut squash soup, and I usually don't like soup. I made mine with pumpkin puree because honestly I don't have the time to chop up a real pumpkin haha. But if you want to use pumpkin, then I left the original amount. You can also use any other kind of winter squash instead of pumpkin. This would be good with beans or barley in it too.

1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
a smidge of olive oil (or just non-stick cooking spray)
6 cups chopped pumpkin, or two 15oz cans of pumpkin puree
3 cups chopped sweet potato
2 large carrots chopped
a pinch of habanera pepper (you could skip this if you don't like spicy)
5 1/2 cups veggie broth
a good size pinch of nutmeg
a teaspoon or so of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the onion and garlic with the oil on medium low until the onions are soft, but not browing.
Add the veggies and pepper and cover and sweat on medium low for 12 minutes or so.
Add the broth and nutmeg and bring to a boil then reduce to medium low for about 20 minutes (this will really depend on the size of your chopping), until the veggies are all tender.

Let the soup cool a bit and add it to the food processer and blend it up smooth. Transfer back to the pot and stir in the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

I use about 1/4 of habanera pepper and it seems to get even hotter the next day so if you don't taste enough spice maybe add a little black pepper or red pepper flake to your bowl and wait until the next day toadd extra habanera .

From: http://www.thekindlife.com/discussion_posts/list/2/644/1

Butternut Squash Soup

So I'm not really a big soup person, but I decided to give this a try. Oh my god, this was seriously the most creamy, delicious soup that I've ever had. I couldn't believe that there wasn't any dairy in it because it was soooo creamy. Perfect for the chilly weather that is coming up. I love to eat this with a big salad for lunch! I also didn't add the pecans to mine (because I forgot) and it was delish without them. Add them if you want though!

Also, I found low sodium vegetable bouillon cubes at wholefoods and I toss a few of those in with the water at the end instead of spending tons of money on pre-made containers of it.

Serves 4
Naturally sweet, you won't crave dessert after this warming soup. The easy preparation combines with the seasonal colors — orange squash and brown pecans — to make this a perfect dish for an autumn lunch. Delicious topped with Gruyére cheese. Serve with a salad and rustic, crusty bread.

Ingredients
1 large leek
Non-stick cooking spray
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
5 cups vegetable stock
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped

Method
Halve the leek lengthwise, rinse thoroughly and chop the white and light green parts only. Discard the tough dark green parts.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat with non-stick cooking spray; add onion and leek and sauté until they start to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add squash (spray more non-stick spray or add a little olive oil) and continue cooking 10 minutes longer.

Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Let soup cool slightly. In a food processor, purée half of the soup until smooth. Take extreme care when puréeing a hot liquid. Mix purée back into soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with toasted pecans and serve.

From: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=364