Macrobiotic Soups

misocornsoup, originally uploaded by veggiebytes.

With the coming of fall and dropping temperatures, good nourishing soups are a must. Whether you are in tip-top shape or feeling under the weather, a wonderful soup can be a great way to start a meal or be a meal in itself.The macrobiotic lifestyle reccommends having miso soup everyday.
Miso is a fermented soybean paste that contains beneficial bacteria.
There are several different kinds ranging in color and flavor, from white and sweet, to very dark brown and pungent.
When the soup is prepared properly, the beneficial bacteria in the miso aid in digestion and support the immune system.

Here are two soups I made one evening as I wanted to have more than one kind. I love variety 🙂
The recipes are adapted from the Macrobiotic Community Cookbook:

Miso Corn Soup

1 tsp oil (sesame is good)
1/8 tsp hing or garlic powder
3 cups water
1/2 cup cut baby carrots
2 fresh ears of corn (one with corn removed from the cob, the other broken into “tires”)
1/4 block firm tofu
3 TBSP aka miso (red miso)
dried wakame (optional) (I like Emerald Cove organic wakame)
scallions to garnish

In a medium pot, heat oil and add hing or garlic powder. Add water and bring to a boil, then add the carrots, corn and tofu. If you have dried wakame pieces add them as well. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until carrots are cooked. Turn to low and add miso to a ladle, and take some so the broth and mix with a whisk until you can pour this back into the soup. If you skip this step, you will have a miso blob in your soup. Make sure you never boil miso soup as this kills the healthy microbes. A light 5 minute simmer should stop the fermentation process while still preserving the integrity of the bacteria.
Garnish with scallions.

Macrobiotic food is generally dairy-free. This is great if you are vegan and also if you are suffering from any type of ailment. Dairy products create mucus, so eliminating it from the diet when you are under the weather will help you feel better faster.
It’s amazing that you can still have creamy soups without milk and cream. I hope you enjoy this one.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

1 TBSP oil (sesame or olive is good)
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
4 cups water
1 TBSP rice flour
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
2 tsp salt

Heat oil and sautee onion if using. Add celery and potatoes and water.
Bring to a boil. Add broccoli and then simmer for 15 minutes.
Add half the soup to a blender with the salt and rice flour. Puree.
If you would still like to have pieces of veggies, leave some of the soup in the pot or if you would like it to be one consistency, puree it all.
Add soymilk and simmer until it is incorporated.
Serve with sesame seeds, gomasio, or my favorite: yasai nori furikake (this is a veggie sesame seed seaweed sprinkle).

You can make both of the soups side by side on your stove in under 30 minutes, even when you aren’t feeling well. You will feel the benefit and health support a lot more than a canned soup or very heavy and sodium laden restaurant variety. Be kind to yourself and others: make soup 🙂