Creating tasty vegetarian recipes is a passion of mine. Committing to more plant-based meals throughout the week can be a challenge for individuals and families who have been accustomed to cooking with meat or fish most of their lives.
So having recipes that taste good, are easy to prepare and also provide an abundance of healthy nutrients is critical.
This is definitely one of my favourite recipes and is made for two large bowls of nutritious soup.
Whilst I’ve put the vegetables that I like the most into this recipe, it’s also a great way to use up veggies you need to use up as most veggies work really well in this healthy soup. Once you get into the groove of making it, it’s easy to be creative.
I call this soup a top performer as it is a wonderful way to increase your veggie intake for important nutrients and antioxidants. It is for this reason that it sits on my home cooking weekly menu once or twice a week.
Nutritionally, this recipe is also hard to beat. It’s a high fibre soup that I recommend for nurturing the gut, balancing hormones & blood sugar levels, reducing cholesterol, supporting liver detoxification, and assisting with weight management goals.
For people who struggle with low energy, I recommend this soup for lunch where possible as it reduces afternoon energy slumps and keeps the brain well fed and happy. Great for those of you who are studying!
What are the benefits of Miso?
Miso is a traditional Japanese fermented food with an abundance of health benefits. Not only is this superstar ingredient rich in essential minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants but it provides the gut with active cultures of bacteria known as probiotics which are wonderful for digestive health.
Miso is also a phytoestrogen food source meaning that it acts as a weak estrogen. This can be very helpful in reducing the symptoms of hormonal conditions such as PMS, perimenopause, and menopause.
Once you have the ingredients and they are easily accessible, this could be a regular on your weekly menu too!
Ingredients wise, I buy the Fried Organic Tofu Puffs from the International Organics Society which are available in some supermarkets and health food shops, however you can experiment with other forms of tofu. For my noodles, I like to add the Obap sweet potato noodles which are made from sweet potato starch and water however you can add a whole host of different noodles to this soup such as rice noodles, soba noodles or buckwheat noodles.
For my miso, I use a white miso paste. Most miso pastes are gluten free however some types can use wheat and barley so make sure you look at the ingredients if you want a gluten free dish.
Ingredients
- 1 packet fried organic tofu puffs
- 1 packet of sweet potato noodles
- 3 cups of good quality organic vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon organic white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 carrot finely sliced Julienne style
- 2 zucchini’s sliced finely
- 1/2 red capsicum sliced finely
- 1/3 cup of Edamame beans
- 2 spring onions finely sliced
- 1 Bok choy, shredded
- 1 cup of baby spinach
Instructions
In a large saucepan, cook noodles as per instructions on the packet, then strain and distribute evenly in the bowls.
In a large wok, stir fry the garlic, spring onions and ginger in olive oil until fragrant.
Now add all vegetables except the baby spinach and stir fry until nearly tender.
Add the tofu and edamame beans and stir in for a few minutes.
Stir in the tamari and chilli powder.
Stir the miso paste into the vegetable stock and once mixed, pour this liquid into the wok and simmer for 5-8 minutes.
Finally, add the baby spinach until wilted and then ladle your soup mixture into the bowls on top of the noodles.
Devour with soup spoons and chopsticks and enjoy!
