Miso Hummus

A different take on traditional hummus. Instead of adding oil, I used miso paste, which dramatically reduces the fat content but still retains a unique flavour. It's really quick and easy to make. Simply combine chickpeas, miso and lemon juice.

I enjoy making miso soup as well as adding miso to rice dishes (see recipes below). It's a great seasoning, traditionally used in Japanese cooking, and produced by fermenting soybeans. The 'Miso and Easy' variety I buy is in bottle form, instead of tubs containing thicker pastes. Miso paste easily be thinned by adding warm water.

Miso Soup
Miso Green Tea and Ginger Tofu Soup
Miso Black Bean Rice Mix

Miso Hummus

Makes 5 (60g serving)

Ingredients:

- 450g / 16oz / 1 can chickpeas, drained, except 1tbsp / 15ml liquid

- 24g / 4tsp miso paste

- 3tbsp / 45ml lemon juice

- 1/4tsp garlic powder (optional)

- ground black pepper (optional)

Method:

In a food processor, blend together the chickpeas, bean juice, miso paste, lemon juice and garlic powder (if desired) until smoothly combined. 

Pour into a container and grind black pepper on top.

Serve on rice cakes or with chopped vegetables. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Soups

During the cold winter months, there's nothing more I love than a big bowl of homemade soup. Partly because it's so filling and nutritious. Partly because a really big bowl has less than 400 calories!

It's also really easy to make - mainly just boiling a pot of vegetables, adding some carbs like lentils or potatoes (both white and sweet), a few spices and herbs, plus broth for flavour and protein, in the form of fish, chicken or tofu. None of the soups I make have cream or added salt. I always ensure I use reduced sodium broth and no-salt-added canned tomatoes. Natural sugars from carrots, apple and sweet potato are perfect sweeteners. Some of the soups below are thickened with a cup of almond milk or some cashew cream (blended cashews in water).

When making soup at home, a hand-held stick blender is an essential tool. Once cooled, the soup can be bagged up and frozen for future meals.

Soups

Broccoli and Dill Soup

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

Carrot and Coriander Soup

Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup

Chicken and Potato Chili Soup

Indian Spiced Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Kale and Apple Soup

Miso Green Tea and Ginger Tofu Soup

Miso Soup

Moroccan Lentil Chicken Soup

Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

White Bean Soup

Miso Green Tea and Ginger Tofu Soup

Instead of regular miso soup or heartier and thicker vegetable-blended soups, this recipe is a broth-based soup with vegetables, tofu and unique flavours - ginger and green tea!

I spiralized the courgette to make noodles, using blade C on my spiralizer. Chopped or julienne courgette will also be fine but the noodles are different.

Miso Green Tea and Ginger Tofu Soup
Makes 2
Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

Ingredients:
- 720ml / 24floz boiling water
- 2 green tea bags
- 56g / 2oz onion, chopped
- 1/2tsp ginger, ground
- 56g / 2oz / 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 85g / 3oz green pepper, chopped
- 240ml / 8floz chicken broth, reduced sodium
- 18g / 1tbsp miso paste (I use miso and easy)
- 260g / 9oz courgette, chopped or spirialized
- 170g / 6oz firm tofu, chopped
- 5ml / 1tsp soy sauce, light

Method:
Boil 3 cups (720ml) water and brew 2 green tea bags.

Cook onion, ginger, celery and pepper for 5 mins.

Add broth, green tea water. Add miso paste and whisk till dissolved.

Add courgette noodles and simmer on a low heat.

Meanwhile brown tofu in a teaspoon of soy sauce and then add to the soup.

ENJOY!
Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

Nutritional Information:

Miso Black Bean Rice Mix

I usually only eat miso as soup, but mixed with rice and black beans makes a great lunch which can be eaten hot or cold. The rice is tender like risotto and a little green veg together with the sweet corn makes it a well balanced nutritious meal.

Miso Black Bean Rice Mix
Makes 4

Ingredients:
- 7.5ml / 1/2tbsp olive oil
- 110g / 4oz onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 5g / 1tbsp ginger, chopped
- 80g / 3oz kale
- 170g / 6oz pepper, chopped
- 170g / 6oz courgette, chopped
- 85g / 3oz sweet corn
- 425g / 15oz / 1 can black beans (no added salt)
- 45g / 1.6oz brown rice, cooked
- 30g / 2tbsp miso paste
- 120ml / 4floz warm water

Method:
In a pan, heat the oil and saute the onion, garlic and ginger for approx. 5 minutes until clear.
Add the vegetables, black beans and cooked rice.
Mix the miso paste with the 1/2 cup (120ml) warm water and stir into pan.
Cook for 5 minutes until veg is tender and liquid has been absorbed.
Serve hot or cold. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Miso Soup

Traditionally miso soup consists of a stock called dashi (simple broth or fish stock) and softened miso paste (fermented soybeans). It is eaten with a few simple ingredients like tofu, negi (spring onion), wakame seaweed, mushrooms, potatoes, shrimp, fish, or daikon (white radish).

It is customary in Japan for ingredients to reflect the seasons and to provide contrasts of colour, texture, and flavour. For example, negi and tofu, a strongly flavoured ingredient mixed with a delicately flavored ingredient, are often combined. Ingredients that float such as wakame seaweed, and ingredients that sink such as potatoes, are also combined.

At my local supermarket, I found Miso and Easy which I use to make miso soup. I try to limit my intake of miso as it's a high-sodium food, although the nutritional values of Miso and Easy are very reasonable - similar to a serving of light soy sauce. A bowl of soup is quite filling and can be made in a few minutes. I tend to limit my ingredients to just a couple - tofu, courgette, mushrooms, spring onion, even kale! Nutritional Information for various combinations is below.

Simply chop the vegetables, microwave or steam for a few minutes. Mix 2tsp miso paste with a cup of boiling water and add the veg. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information: