Hands up!
Anyone else find themselves with a glut of zucchini and summer squash as the plants are just loving the heat this summer?
I cannot resist the beauty of a shiny summer squash or zucchini whenever i see them in the store or t the City Farm and found myself with over 2lbs in my refrigerator.
I needed a recipe fast.
I adapted this recipe from online vegan recipe creator, Debra Klein, to create a protein rich, nutrient dense soup, creamy but dairy-free and packed with flavour. The soup is no longer vegan but conatins all that gut-healing bone broth collagen and mineral dense goodness that we need to support our bodies through hormonal change.
Did you know that there is no word for hot flashes in Japan?
So few women experience this symptom of peri-menopause as they pass through hormonal change so there is not a descriptor in the language. This is changing as wheat heavy foods become more popular in Japan and the Standard American diet and subsequent fast foods are enjoyed by the culture, but, a traditional Japanese diet heavy in fish, fermented foods and soy support a woman through a symptom free peri-menopause.
Let’s talk about the phyto-chemicals in soy beans that mimic estrogen in he body and help to reduce symptoms of peri-menopause.
They have had a bad rap and there has been scaremongering that these foods can create a risk of breast cancer.
When we drip feed our bodies gentle plant based chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body we are supporting our vaginal health, brain health and libido. These gentle estrogens attach to beta estrogen receptors in the breast that slow down the turnover of cells, making them breast protective.
Make sure that you buy organic soy products as this crop is heavily sprayed with glyphosate, it was genetically designed that way and glyphosate is extremely damaging to our gut lining…it was designed that way, it is how it kills pests.
The big benefit of using soy in this soup is that it creates a creamy texture without needing to add inflammatory dairy products such as milk and cream. Don’t get me wrong, I love the occasional creamy dessert or scone with cream and jam and I LOVE butter but in my everyday cooking I shy away from dairy heavy recipes.
So, we have a high protein, plant heavy soup with a creamy texture, that helps to prevent menopausal symptoms and is rich in all the mineral dense nutrition and gut healing properties for bone broth.
How does the soup taste Louise? Am I going to love it?
Creamy and herby in flavour, this soup has a deep umami taste due to the 2 tbsp of miso paste added at the end. Miso paste is found in the refrigerator in your food store or an Asian grocery and is made from fermented soy beans. Because it is fermented the nutrition from protein, iron, magnesium our relaxation mineral and the B group of vitamins that support our nervous system and boost our energy are easily absorbed.
Above all else Miso Paste benefits for your microbiome, you inner constellation of healthy bacteria that impact so many areas of our health from mood to yes you guessed it, menopausal symptoms in a positive way. The Miso Paste is added at the very end of the recipe once the soup has been taken off the heat and in this way the healthy bacteria in the Miso can stay ‘live’.
What a gorgeous way to include this stunning summer vegetable into your weekly rotation of nutrient dense meals.
Ingredients
2lb summer squash and or Zucchini diced
1 large onion diced
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cups chicken broth
8oz silken tofu
1 cup peas frozen or fresh
1 bunch fresh basil
2 heaped tbsp miso paste
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Instructions
Put the olive oil in a large soup pan and add the onion, garlic and squash.
Sauté very gently with a lid on the pan for 15 minutes or until the squash are softened.
Add the chicken broth, tofu, peas and whole bunch of basil.
Using a hand held blender or in batches in a food processor or standing blender, whizz the soup until it is smooth and return to the pan.
Bring the soup back to simmer and turn off the heat.
Add the miso paste once the soup has cooled a little so that you keep the fermented ‘live’ properties of the miso.
Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Serves 4-6