Carrot Miso Spread
When I married my husband, I discovered many new things about the polynesian and aboriginal cultures that have deeply enriched my life for the better. One such example is their sincere generosity at all times and with all things. It doesn’t matter if there is a large eating or the plate in front of them is the only meal they’ll have all day, food is shared and given freely. There is never too little to share. One thing I didn’t expect though was just how much they loved MAYONNAISE hehe. Potato salad, macaroni salad, egg salad, sandwiches, mussels drenched in mayo & coconut milk and the list goes on. If only I could find a replacement for MAYO!
Well although this doesn’t look like mayo, or taste like mayo, when it comes to sandwiches, I have finally found something that my husband and kids will choose as a spread even before, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, MAYO! The kids love it as a dip for pita chips and other crackers. It’s so versatile it goes with just about everything. Try it on fresh baked whole wheat bread to replace butter or in pita pockets stuffed with other yummy veggies. If you want to bake something fun with your kids, try our favourite PITA POCKET recipe coming soon.
MISO is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley, and/or soybeans with salt and the fungus kōjikin, the most typical miso being made with soy. Their are different varieties that have different flavours. Shiro or white miso is the one that I prefer in this recipe. If you’ve never used miso, please don’t let it turn you off from trying this spread. Even if this is the only thing you use it for, this recipe makes it worth buying. I recommend the Amano brand as it is organic and uses non-GMO soybeans. I found it at our local health food store “Nutters”.
You did read write when I said that this miso contains salt. This recipe is not salt free but as a general overall rule, we try to limit adding additional salt to our meals. The American Heart Association recommends consuming less than 1500mg of sodium (or salt) daily and ideally we should consume less than 1000mg a day. Because natural foods contain some salt, our goal has been to have no more than 300mg of added salt daily. The risks of too much salt and a further explanation about it can be found HERE. This recipe has about 40mg of sodium per tablespoon if you use the full 2 TB of miso that the recipe calls for. As with all the recipes you will find on this site, added salt is always optional and although the recipes are low in salt to begin with, feel free to see how low you can go and just salt to taste.
This recipe is by Terry Walters, and is in her book Clean Start.
- 2 large carrots
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 1-2 TB light miso (I use white miso or "Shiro" miso, the Amano brand)
- Toasted ivory and/or black sesame seeds (optional)
- Peal the carrots and rough chop into ½ inch pieces
- Put both the carrots and cashews in a small pot with the stock.
- Bring to a boil on high heat and then reduce to medium and cook until the carrots are easy to pierce with a fork.
- Remove from heat and scoop out the carrots & cashews with a slotted spoon and place in a food processor.
- Measure out ¼ cup of the remaining stock liquid from the pot and mix this with the 2 TB of miso until dissolved.
- Add this mixture to the processor along with the carrots & cashews and process until smooth. (Could also do in a high powered blender).
- Serve warm topped with the sesame seeds or Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or 5 days. (That is if it lasts that long).
- Makes about 1,1/2 cups
