Recipe: Miso-Pesto Vegetable Soup

Admittedly, calling this a recipe is bit of a misnomer. Rather than set-in-stone rules, this is more like a loose set of guidelines, which generally describes my cooking philosophy too. But with cooler weather coming, I figured it's good time to share this "recipe" for miso-pesto vegetable soup. It's hearty, healthy and can be made in a hurry—from fridge & pantry to the table in under 15 minutes. 

I also love that this feels more substantial than the typical pureed vegetable soups; even after a blitz in the blender, it still has rough, nubbly bits to give it some texture, so I don't feel like I'm on a liquid diet.

Even better yet, it utilizes ingredients that I pretty much have on standby all the time: vegetables, miso paste, pesto sauce and some seasonings. And in the latest rendition of this soup, I found it works wonderfully with a bag of frozen vegetables too (yes, that middle American mix of peas, corns, carrots, lima and green beans,) since it still gets a flavor boost from the deeply savory miso and vibrant pesto.

While this vegan soup satisfying enough as is, if I'm feeling extra indulgent I'd throw in a splash of cream and top it with some cheese too.

Recipe: Stir-Fried Pepper Corn

I know nothing beats shucking kernels off a freshly steamed/boiled/grilled cob, but this stir-fried pepper corn is excellent too, especially when fresh corn is out of season (you can swap in frozen corn!) And no matter what time of year, its sunny hues, sweet crunch & fiery heat (from a chili-infused oil) make for an instant, delicious throwback to warmer, brighter summer days.

This recipe is adapted from Grace Young's Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, my go-to reference for all things wok-related. On top of easy-to-follow recipes and useful ingredient & preparation tips, the book also includes numerous tales of how this simple cooking technique & instrument followed the Chinese population where-ever they traveled, sometimes merging with other cultures and cuisines to create dishes like Chinese-Jamaican Jerk Chicken Fried Rice and Stir-Fried Bagels (which I've tried and actually enjoyed), other times being the only means to get a taste of home no matter where they go.

Of course, there's a plethora of familiar & authentic recipes too, such as yang chow fried rice, kung pao chicken and stir-fried ginger beef (last of which she gave a video demo on.) But her summer pepper corn is one of my reliables for a party, it's a cinch to make and is a great vegetable side that easily complements many main dishes.