A lovely miso soup choke with vegetables and herbs. Perfect any time. It's important not to boil miso, as the precious enzymes and cultures will be done away with by heat over about 118°F.

Yields: 2-4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup dry arame
2 tablespoons dry wakame, broken into 1-inch pieces
4 cups filtered water
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemongrass, sliced
If fresh lemongrass is unavailable, use 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1 carrot, peeled with a peeler to the core into delicate ribbons
1 zucchini, peeled with a peeler to the core into delicate ribbons
5 tablespoons white miso
dash of nama shoyu
drizzle of cold-pressed sesame oil (optional)
1 teaspoons maple syrup, brown rice syrup or raw honey (optional)
4 green onions, finely sliced to the top
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sesame seeds or hulled hemp seeds

PROCEDURE:

Soak arame and wakame in filtered water for 15 minutes to soften. Drain off soaking water.
Bring 4 cups of filtered water to a gentle simmer with chopped garlic, ginger, lemongrass for 1 minute. Add carrots, zucchini and green onion for 30 seconds and remove from heat.
Allow to cool for a moment before adding miso (the live, benficial cultures found in miso are heat-sensitive and for optimum benefits should not be cooked).
Ladle out 1 cup of liquid and add miso, stirring until dissolved. Return to the pot
Add nama shoyu, sesame oil and sweetener and stir.
Gently warm on a low flame if necessary.

SERVICE

Garnish with chopped cilantro and sesame seeds or hemp seeds.

LEFTOVER STORAGE

Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.