Miso Hungry! (for Delicious Dark Green Chard Soup!)

 Does all she cook have to have dark leafy greens in it....well, no, but I have found myself making something involving kale, chard, spinach, collards, tatsoi....etc etc more and more these days, since we can get it so fresh and seasonal around here, and because there are SO many ways to prepare these knock-you-out-they-are-so-good-for-you veggies.  After a nice run at the end of the day here in Southern Oregon in the spring, as the sun goes down behind the Siskiyous it gets a wee bit chilly.  So, I'm sweaty and cold, and craving something warm that will boost my energy, full of filling fiber and phytonutrients, and some yummy salt to replace all those electrolytes lost sweatin' on the trails (or sweatin' to the oldies, or whatever makes you sweat!)

So I present to you simple, super fast, very wholesome: Siskiyou Sunset Miso in love with Chard Soup! (Say that 10 times fast!) 

This recipe is:

Vegan (if you leave out the cheese at the end)

Gluten Free

Ingredients:

One hearty bunch of fresh, shiny, crispy (not limp or dull) swiss or rainbow chard

One medium vidalia or walla walla onion, peeled, thinly sliced

Two heads of garlic peeled, crushed

2 heaping tablespoons of White or Yellow Miso paste

4 cups of homemade or your favorite organic store-bought veggie stock

3 pieces of slightly stale Gluten Free Bread  or 1/2 cup of your favorite gluten free breadcrumbs  

4 tablespoons of Walnut Oil (or extra virgin Olive Oil or Coconut Oil) 

White pepper

Instructions:

1. Rinse chard, spin dry or pat dry w/ paper towels.  

2. Remove big center stems from chard and chop into 1/4-1/2 " long pieces.  

Roughly tear chard leaves into big, 3-4"pieces.

3. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat until glistening, hot.

4. Add onions and garlic to oil, let sizzle a little bit, then saute w/ a wooden spoon for about 6-8 minutes until onion is translucent, soft.

5. Add the broth and bring to a simmer.

6. Add the chard LEAVES (not the stems) and stir, cooking for about 3-4 minutes.  You don't want to overcook the greens.

7. Add the miso and a dash of white pepper and stir well until miso is nice and evenly distributed in the liquid.

8.  Get out your immersion blender and go to town, pureeing contents of pot until nice and creamy and smooth (should look like a dark green smoothie!).  Alternatively, blend the soup in a blender, probably in two batches, being careful not to spew liquid hot magma I mean soup all over your kitchen and your skin.

9. Keep soup simmering on low heat on the stove for flavors to continue to mingle

10. Warm the other two tablespoons of oil in a small frying pan over high heat, then add the chard ribs, and stir around a bit to evenly coat w/ oil.  Then add the breadcrumbs and keep stirring until the breadcrumbs brown slightly and become crisp, about 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat.

11. Serve in warmed bowls and top with chard rib/breadcrumb mixture.  

Extra: Feta goes well w/ chard, onions, and garlic, so sprinkle a little crumbed feta and greek yogurt on top for an extra creamy chewyness, yumm......

You can serve this w/ crusty (gluten free if you like) bread as a meal, or alongside tofu or chicken breasts marinated w/ herbs, lemon juice and olive oil and then coated in a ground almond, flax meal, and salt and pepper crust baked in the oven for 40  minutes on 350 (thats what I did). 

Ta Da!

The sous chefs soaking up the last of the evening sun:)