Winter is here and we’re and all cold and hungry. Soups give us the warmth we need this season without making feel weighed down and tired.

I like really simple soups, not too many ingredients. To many things floating about in the bowl are off putting, plus I don’t like surprises generally so the idea of a mystery ingredient hidden at the bottom of the bowl isn’t appealing to me. One of my personal favorites is Miso soup.

Miso hails from Japan and his a common side at sushi restaurants. The most basic miso recipes consist of 4-6 simple ingredients, Miso paste (fermented bean paste knows as Kojikin), dashi (fish stock), and cubed tofu and seaweed. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE SEAFOOD so this soup is right up my ally without being overtly fishy. It’s light and tasty with a light salty/briney edge. Miso is super inexpensive you can by it at most sushi restaurants for around $2-$5 depending on the size. If your adventurous and want to try this at home the process is pretty straight forward but some of the ingredients can be hard to get a hold of cheaply if you are not in a major city with an Asian market near by.

Another one of my favorite winter time soups is a little creation of my own, carrot ginger, butternut squash soup. I make this a least once a month because it’s quick and delectable. You can find my recipe and personal video below.

2 large carrots or 4-6 medium sized carrots, cubed
1 16oz bag frozen butternut squash 
2′ piece fresh ginger sliced
4 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 tbs chile flakes
1/2 tbs chile power
2 tpbs Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
*chicken stock

roast on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper in an oven heated to 420 degrees F. For 20mins and let cool for 5 mins 

Pulse in a food processor adding chicken stock intermittently until smooth. 

Add mixture onto a pot on the stove top over medium heat. Stir in 1-3 cups of chicken stock until the soup reaches your desired consistency. Let soup heat through on a low simmer and serve!