Nasu to myoga no misoshiru / miso soup with eggplant and Japanese ginger buds

A summery pairing of eggplant and myoga ginger buds! Eggplant goes really well with miso. In this soup, fresh myoga gives a zesty punch. Eggplant skin tends to become dull when cooked in soup; add eggplant while dashi is vigorously boiling to retain its beautiful purple tone.

1/2 of recipe: 
30 calories; 1.9 g protein; 0.4 g fat; 5.1 g carbohydrate; 3.4 g net carbs; 248 mg sodium (with reduced-sodium miso); 1 mg cholesterol; 1.7 g fiber

Nattojiru / miso soup with fermented soybeans

A stew-like miso soup featuring natto. Natto's distinctive aroma softens after simmering for some time, and this is a good introductory dish for those who are not familiar with the ingredient. Great for chilly or cool days, as the soup warms your body. 

104 calories (1/2 of recipe); 8.8 g protein; 5.2 g fat; 5.4 g carbohydrate; 3.3 g net carbs; 261 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 2.1 g fiber

Maitake to warabi no gorugonzoora pasta / pasta with hen of the woods mushrooms and bracken in gorgonzola sauce

Crunchy maitake is a nice addition to rich gorgonzola sauce for pasta. A vegetable in season -- warabi this time -- takes away the heavy note of the cheese sauce, which is also lightened by replacing the typical heavy cream with a combination of soy milk and sakekasu sake lees.
Since the sauce cooks fast once you add the soy milk and gorgonzola mixture, start cooking pasta before starting to saute maitake and warabi for the sauce.

548 calories (1/2 of recipe); 21.6 g protein; 24.2 g fat; 59.8 g carbohydrate; 54.2 g net carbs; 234 mg sodium; 30 mg cholesterol; 5.6 g fiber

Hayatouri no akadashi / red miso soup with chayote

Juicy chayote with its relatively plain taste makes a great contrast to the strong flavor of akadashi red miso broth.

1/2 of recipe:
31 calories; 2.1 g protein; 0.5 g fat; 4.6 g carbohydrate; 3.6 g net carbs; 245 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 1.0 g fiber

Fuki to tofu no akadashi / red miso soup with Japanese butterbur and tofu

This miso soup lets you enjoy the distinctive aroma of fuki. The addition of smooth kinugoshi soft tofu offers a pleasant contrast in textures.

1/2 of recipe:
49 calories; 4.0 g protein; 1.9 g fat; 3.6 g carbohydrate; 2.8 g net carbs;  254 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 0.8 g fiber

Konsai no sakekasu misoshiru / miso soup with root vegetables and sake lees

Hearty, satisfying and warming – and all you have to do is add sakekasu to your everyday miso soup. Aromatic and flavorful, sakekasu also lets you use even less miso than my recent low-sodium recipe for miso soup with yogurt.

1/2 of recipe:
50 calories; 2.3 g protein; 0.4 g fat; 9.0 g carbohydrate; 6.4 g net carbs; 189 mg sodium (with reduced-sodium miso; 234 mg with regular miso); 0 mg cholesterol; 2.6 g fiber

Sake no kasuzuke / grilled salmon marinated in sake lees

Aromatic sake lees make a great marinade for all sorts of things including vegetables, seafood and meat. Here is one example with salmon, the classic choice for seafood kasuzuke. When used with shiozake salted salmon, this also works to desalinate the fish while imparting a nice aromatic flavor.