miso ginger soup with zucchini noodles

You won't miss those starchy noodles with this! 

I think this polar vortex is making everyone in Manhattan crave flavorful, warm and indulgent foods - it’s pretty much the only thing that makes this cold bearable! 

I was thinking about soups, specifically everyone’s beloved Pho and my recent craving for French onion, but honestly didn’t feel like loading up on all those heavy carbs and cheese and bloat inducing salt.  I did however still want something satisfying, nutritious and of course, flavorful — and hot — so I went to my trusted zoodles and my favorite miso paste and started cooking. 

One thing to note, this recipe does not include any added salt, minimal oil (which is optional) and can be adjusted to include any additional vegetables or legumes you'd like. 

Below is the recipe for a very simple miso ginger zoodle soup. You really won’t feel like you’re missing out at all. 

Ingredients: 
One medium sized zucchini, washed, not peeled
1/2 fresh red pepper, sliced into thin strips 
4-5 fresh mushrooms, sliced into medium strips *
1/2 cup fresh sugar snap peas (the other half for snacking on while cooking, duh!)
1 clove garlic, or more if you wish, sliced into thin strips 
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, sliced into very thin strips
1 teaspoon or tablespoon red miso paste, depending on how you like the flavor intensity  
1/2 teaspoon ginger juice (I like Edward & Sons) 
1 teaspoon sesame oil 
1 teaspoon Braggs Amino Acids 
Sriracha for taste  


Directions: 
Prepare all vegetables as indicated above and add to a nonstick pan, no oil. Let cook on very low heat as you zoodle the zucchini.  After a few minutes of cooking, add 2 cups water, ginger juice and miso paste to the vegetables and bring mixture to a simmer at high heat, approximately ten minutes.  Stir mixture occasionally. Add sesame oil and amino acids, and adjust according to your taste.  Here you can also add in some garlic paste or powder to amp flavor.  Let simmer another few minutes. 

Add in zoodled zucchini and bring heat to medium low to allow the zoodles to soften. Try not to overcook! Taste the broth one more time to see if it’s to your liking. Once settled, spoon into a nice big bowl and top with sriracha, or any topping you’d like and enjoy the warm, nutritious flavors! 

*Fun tip I learned this week about mushrooms - you don’t have to wash them!  Washing them adds too much moisture to the already water-dense vegetable, so It  ends up sweating too much and getting soggy. If you simply wipe them on a paper towel, It  removes any remaining dirt, and allows for the ‘shroom to sweat out its natural moisture while cooking.