Creamy Miso Soup w/ Veggies, Greens & Soba Noodles

Soup Vegetables & Noodles

• 1 onion, sliced pole-to-pole
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
  
• 2 cups carrots, roll cut
  
• 2 cups celery, 1/3-inch dice
  
• 2 cups yam or sweet potato, peeled, 1/3-inch dice
  
• 1 4-inch piece kombu
  
• 1/3 cup fresh ginger, peeled, minced
  
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 pound soba noodles, broken in half
  
• 1 bunch rainbow or other chard: stems cut into 1/2-inch dice; greens cut into 1-inch wide strips
  

Miso/Tahini/Curry Paste

• 1/3 cup mellow white miso
  
• 1/4 cup mellow brown rice miso
  
• 1/4 cup tahini
  
• 1 teaspoon Thai red or green curry paste (or more to taste)
  
• 1 cup water
  

1. Pour the oil into the bottom of a large soup pot over medium heat.
2. When the oil is hot, stir in the onions.
3. Cover the pot and cook the onions until translucent and beginning to color, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the carrots, celery, drained yam, kombu, garlic, ginger, and salt, and sauté for 5 minutes.
5. Add 9 cups of water, cover the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat.
6. When the water boils, stir in the soba noodles and lower the heat so that the soup simmers.
7. After one minute, stir in the diced chard stems.
8. After two more minutes, stir in the chard greens.
9. Meanwhile, blend the miso/tahini/curry paste in a blender until smooth.
10. After the greens have cooked two minutes, turn the heat down to low and stir in the miso/tahini/curry paste.
11. Add half a cup of water to the blender to release any of the paste clinging to the sides of the blender jar.
12. Taste the soup and season to taste with salt or additional miso.