Carrot Miso Soup

This wonderful soup comes from the Smitten Kitchen. It's the simplest of ingredients with such great flavor. Yes, there are a lot of carrots involved but carrots are really on the cheap. I can pick up a 5 lb bag of organic carrots for under $5 making this a very inexpensive soup to prepare (double the recipe and store in the freezer for later if you like). The miso costs a bit more at around $8-9 a tub but will last up to a year + in the fridge. If you follow my recipes you will be sure to use it more than once. The miso compliments this soup beautifully making it a classic favorite. I love miso for its flavor and health benefits, it is quite unusual and irreplaceable. The only changes I made to Deb's recipe was adding a little tofu to round this soup out with some protein. I have chosen to use a silken tofu, sliced and topped with a bit of cayenne for a little kick of spice. The tofu is soft and silky blending in almost seamlessly with each bite and the cayenne adds a bit of warmth. So delicious! Feel free to omit the tofu if you're not a fan. And if you are a fan, feel free to add more for extra protein. 

Carrot Miso Soup 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 - 2 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely grated 
• 4 cups water or vegetable broth (I used water)
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) white miso paste
• 8 oz. organic silken tofu, sliced thin and at room temperature
• cayenne pepper as garnish, to taste 
• chives, chopped OR scallions, thinly sliced

In a large dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium heat, add onion, carrots and garlic, saute until onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Add liquids and ginger. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes, or until carrots are tender.

Let soup cool a bit. Add miso to soup and puree using 1 of 3 methods: An immersion blender right in the por, a food processor or a regular blender. You may have to puree the latter two methods in batches.

Add a bit more water as needed. Taste for seasoning adding salt, especially if you didn't use veggie stock you may like to add salt. Add pepper, more miso or grated ginger to taste.

Slice your tofu, ladle your soup into serving bowls, top with tofu, a sprinkle of cayenne for some heat and a nice bunch of chives or scallions.

Enjoy!