Warm & Healthful Miso Soup

I love a good huge bowl of soup this time of year. It warms me to the core. Sadly my other half isn't the biggest fan of soups, so I usually eat it solo. Which means that I don't need to whip up a huge honkin vat. So I often make a single serving for lunch of a delicious miso soup. The beauty of this soup is that I can add meat or vegetables that spark my taste buds. Make sure to read after the recipe for all the health benefits of this soup!

Here is malleable recipe:
In a small or medium sauce pan:
Heat 1 tbsp. oil (coconut or peanut are best, any works). Add whatever veggies and/or protein you want to lightly cook--shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, edamame, onion, watercress, etc; cooked chicken, lean beef strips, tofu. Add a splash off soy sauce to the veggies. Then, quickly add the amount of water to equal how much soup you want to eat. Bring the soup to a rolling boil and add a splash of rice vinegar. Add a large table spoon of miso paste* (less or more depending on the intensity you prefer). Add a dash of ground ginger and black pepper to taste (optional red pepper flakes for spiciness). Add soba noodles. Let simmer to fuse flavors (5 minutes). Turn off heat, throw in fresh spinach, then cool and serve.

Depending on the ingredients you use, check out how low calorie it is (watch your sodium intake).


*As I mentioned there are a ton of variations here. You can add whatever chunky ingredients (meat and veggies you want). You can also change the liquid flavor by adding a little chicken broth with the water, adding coconut milk, adding teriyaki sauce, or even lemon grass tea. Experiment and find your favorite soup!


*My favorite miso paste can be found at Whole Foods Market in the dairy section. It's called Cold Mountain Red Miso--I have experimented with a lot of misos and I love this red miso paste the best!



Sip miso soup for your health

Many studies have shown the health benefits of miso on humans and animals. Benefits include reduced risks of breast, lung, prostate, and colon cancer, and protection from radiation.

Miso has a very alkalizing effect on the body and strengthens the immune system to combat infection. Its high antioxidant activity gives it anti-aging properties.

Miso helps the body maintain nutritional balance. It is loaded with other nutrients along with its beneficial bacteria and enzymes. Miso provides protein, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, vitamin E, vitamin K, choline, linoleic acid, lecithin, and dietary fiber. Its high content of the amino acid tryptophan makes miso a good choice right before bedtime. Tryptophan is nature's sleep inducer.

Miso helps preserve skin beauty through its content of linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that helps skin stay soft and free of pigment.

Miso is a good choice for women with menopausal complaints because it is able to fill estrogen receptors and produce some of the actions of estrogen in the body. Researchers have found that consuming one bowl of miso soup per day, as do most residents of Japan, can drastically lower the risks of breast cancer.

Source: Scott Kessman,The Health Benefits of Miso Soup: Japanese Chicken Soup,www.associatedcontent.