Miso goes great in stews, salad dressings, rice and pasta dishes, hummus, marinades, dips, spreads, desserts, and even your morning bowl of oatmeal. But let’s start simple: here’s a quick and basic recipe for miso soup, which can be prepped and served in 5-10 minutes. From The Little Book of Miso Recipes, published by South River Miso.

Serves 4

1 medium onion, sliced in half moons 1 cup chopped kale, collards, watercress, or other seasonal greens 1 carrot, cut into thin rounds 1 three-inch piece of wakame sea vegetable (optional) 1 quart water 3-4 tablespoons of light or dark miso Chopped scallion or parsley for garnish Place water, carrot, onion, and wakame in 2-quart saucepan and bring to boil over high flame. Reduce flame to medium and simmer for 10 minutes with lid on. Add greens and simmer with lid off until tender. In a small bowl, blend miso with 3-4 tablespoons of liquid from pot. Reduce flame to low, add diluted miso, and simmer briefly. Garnish and serve.