Better Than Chicken Soup Miso Super Soup
Reconstituted: Makes 10 Servings ( ie. 16 2/3’s Cups Soup)
Each Serving about 1 & 2/3 Cups
One the things that inspired me to create this recipe is that I never seem to have enough room in my refrigerator. Soup takes up so much space, especially if you want to make enough for a week. Years ago I had a cold and really wanted a substitute for Chicken Soup that was quick & chock full of vitamins and minerals. The result was this soup…super nutritious, easy to make and tastes great from the first reconstituted bowl to the last. It’s my “go-to instead of Chicken Soup” soup for winter especially during cold & Flu Season. The soft texture and soothing creaminess slides down sore throats easily and its warmth opens sinuses and eases flu-like aches. It’s a great cold and flu preventative, too. But these days it’s the taste I really make it for…simply a great comfort food…like heaven in a bowl.
Ingredients:
4 Cups Vegetable Stock
3 tsp. Naturade Soy Free Protein Booster (a Peas based Protein Booster)
1 ½ Tbsp. Red Star Nutritional Yeast (Vegetarian Support Formula also called T-6635)
12 oz. Onion, coarsely chopped (about 2 ½ Cups – it’s roughly 1 softball sized onion))
1 lb. Carrots, chopped (ie. 2 ½ Cups chopped – roughly 3 super large carrots)
1 lb. Frozen Broccoli Florets
1 lb. frozen Cauliflower Florets
1 Cup Quinoa (not cooked)
¼ Cup Tahini
½ Cup Sweet White Mellow Miso (or Barley Miso or any light color miso)
½ Cup water (to add at the end)
2 ½ 8oz. pkgs. Smokey Baked tofu, cubed ¼” X ¼” (I used Soy Boy Smoked Tofu)
2 ½ Cups Minced scallions
Instructions:
1. Put Vegetable broth, Vegetable protein booster and Nutritional Yeast in a large size pot or Dutch oven.
2. Add chopped onion, carrots, frozen broccoli & cauliflower. Mix well.
3. Bring pot of veggies & broth to a boil.
4. Cover, Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add quinoa & cook for 10 minutes (if quinoa is not all “puffed up” cook cover for 10 more minutes or until quinoa is cooked)
6. When quinoa is done, add miso, and tahini. Stir & simmer (do not boil) for 5 minutes, then stir in ½ cup water.
7. Remove from heat. When cooled completely transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate.
(Photo of Finished Concentrated Soup)
Notes:
I have noticed that what you use as you vegetable stock (either homemade or powder based or store bought may vary the color and taste of the soup, but whatever I’ve used it’s still always turned out great. The same can be said of brands of Tahini and brands and flavors of miso. I use a thinner Tahini. My favorite brand is Krinos. If all you have available is a very stiff thick Tahini, you may need to add extra water at the end. Of the light miso’s, I like Miso Master’s Sweet Mellow White Miso . My 2nd favorite is their Barley Miso. The color of the miso will change the color of the soup somewhat.
RE: Cooking Miso: According to the website: Living without Drugs, Natural Cures for Colds to Cancer
Gentle simmering stops the fermentation process, so that the miso will not continue to ferment – and produce gas – in your stomach and intestines. However, the simmering heat is not strong enough to kill the friendly bacteria present in the miso. Thus, miso soup prepared in this manner will nourish you with beneficial friendly bacteria, which helps disgestion and enhances immunity. http://www.natural-cancer-cures.com/miso-soup.html
When I can get them on sales, I love using baby carrots and then I just coin them.
If you can use fresh broccoli and cauliflower; just chop it a little smaller so it will be tender by the end of the 1st 20 minutes of cooking. And yes…the frozen cauliflower & broccoli will kind of disintegrate into the broth, but that’s what makes it creamier
This recipe turns out best with White not Red Inca Quinoa and with sweet white mellow miso.
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this soup because that might kill the beneficial bacteria of the miso in it.
This makes a concentrated soup. Depending upon how thick or thin you like your soup add either 1 cup of concentrate to 2/3’s cup of water or 1 Cup of Concentrate to 1 Cup of water.
For an individual serving: Combine 1 Cup Concentrated soup to 2/3 Cup water. Add 2 Tbsp. of cubed smoked tofu and 1 Tbsp. minced scallions. Mix well and microwave covered on 50% power for 5-5 ½ minutes.
For 4 Servings: 2 Cups Soup Concentrate Plus 2 2/3 Cups Water. Add ½ Cup Cubed Tofu and ¼ Cup Minced Scallions
To Reconstitute the entire recipe: Add 6 2/3’s Cups water plus 5 Cups cubed smoked tofu and 2 ½ Cups Minced Scallions. Reheat on stove or in microwave. If you are making this and then serving it, you can just add these after step 6. In that case I would add 6 2/3’s cups hot (not boiling) water instead of cold.
You May post this original recipe elsewhere if you credit me, Alaine Chang, The Vegan Whole Foodie and provide a link to this site
