Easy White Bean Soup


I N G R E D I E N T S

  • 1 cup dried cannellini, navy, or any hard white bean*
  • 1” piece of dried kombu
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3–4 cups of veggie broth, homemade or store-bought (organic)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ cup white miso
  • Pinch sea salt
  • Fresh or dried basil, oregano, thyme, parsley
  • Lemon juice and grated rind if desired


M E T H O D

Rinse the beans, cover with cool water and soak for 8 hours or overnight with kombu
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Discard soaking water, rinse, add beans and kombu to a medium pot, cover with fresh water and bring to a boil over medium heat
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Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, scoop the foam off the top, then cover and cook over low heat for 45–50 minutes, or until beans are soft. Discard kombu and drain beans in a colander.
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In a medium pot sauté the onion and garlic in a few tablespoons of water or broth for 3–4 minutes or until soft
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Add the cooked (or canned) beans, remaining broth, bay leaf, sea salt and simmer for 15–20 minutes
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Remove bay leaf and puree with a hand held mixer to desired consistency
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Stir miso into 1 cup of bean soup, return to the pot on lowest heat for a few minutes, being careful not to boil the miso broth
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Stir in the lemon juice and rind if using
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Season with fresh or dried herbs. Serve with crusty, whole-grain sourdough bread and a salad for a complete meal.
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Serves 4

*Time saver: Use a 15.5oz can of BPA-free beans

Corn and Squash Late Summer Soup


I N G R E D I E N T S

  • 3–4 ears of fresh corn, shucked and grated
  • ½ cup of rice milk (or corn juice left over from making dried corn: see recipe in Grains)
  • ½ medium kabocha or other winter squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 tsp. white miso
  • Sea salt
  • Italian parsley or cilantro for garnish


M E T H O D

Grate the corn into a large saucepan, retaining the liquid
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Add one cup of rice milk and simmer with a few pinches of sea salt for 5–10 minutes or until corn is cooked
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Meanwhile, place the squash in a medium pot with several inches of water, simmer uncovered over medium heat until soft, 15–20 minutes, and most of the cooking water has evaporated
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Mash the squash with a fork or use a hand held mixer, add the corn and continue to simmer
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Thin the soup with additional rice milk if needed
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Reduce the heat to low, stir the miso into a cup of the soup and return to the pot briefly, being careful not to boil the miso
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Add the cilantro or parsley for a garnish.
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Makes 5–6 cups of soup

Dashi
Use Dashi as a nutrient-rich broth in Miso or other soups


I N G R E D I E N T S

  • 2–3 dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 1” piece of dried kombu seaweed
  • 1 tbsp. mirin
  • 1 tbsp. shoyu or low salt tamari
  • 4 cups spring water


M E T H O D

On low heat in a covered saucepan, slowly simmer the mushrooms, kombu, mirin, shoyu, and water for 1 hour. Simple, delicious, and nutritious!

Miso Soup
Dress up your Miso soup with any of the options listed below; here, I’ve added udon and shiitake mushrooms.


I N G R E D I E N T S

  • ½ cup of matchstick vegetables: carrots, onions and daikon radish
  • 2–3 pinches of dried wakame, or a 2–3″ piece, soaked and cut into bite-sized portions
  • 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
  • 4 tsp. barley, brown rice, or soybean miso (organic and unpasteurized, and aged 2 years is best)
  • 4 cups spring water or dashi (see recipe, above)
  • 1–2 tbsp. chopped scallions


M E T H O D

Heat the water in a saucepan over medium heat and add the vegetables
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Add the wakame and simmer a few minutes
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Add the grated ginger
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Dissolve the miso in ½ cup of soup broth and return to the pot
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Reduce the heat to low and simmer, being careful not to boil the miso
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Garnish with chopped scallion>
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Serves 4

COOKING TIPS / For an extra-rich miso broth use the recipe for Dashi (above). A common mistake in making miso soup is to use too much miso. The rule of thumb is one teaspoon of miso per cup of water.


THE MANY OPTIONS

½ cup cubed tofu
Shiitake mushrooms (sliced fresh, or dried and soaked)
Celery, thinly sliced
Leeks, thinly sliced
Broccoli: small pieces
Cauliflower: small pieces
Cabbage: green, napa, or savoy, thinly sliced
Bok Choy, sliced
Any leafy greens, torn into bite-sized pieces
Mochi “croutons”: pan fried or baked
Ginger juice
Watercress
Nori seaweed sprinkles
Edamame, shelled