miso hungry

Today, I share with you, a unique recipe that is worth giving a try…

Miso maple sweet potato tacos with caramelized onions & sweet chili coconut sauce

The champion of this dish is the Miso, a traditional Japanese staple made from fermented beans, rice or barley.  It is salty and savory, earthy, rich and briny, unlike any other describable flavor.  Commonly used as a soup base, it can also be used as a glaze or marinade for meats and vegetables.

South River Miso is an American Miso maker from Conway, Massachusetts that uses traditional Japanese methods to produce Miso.  I picked up a 3 year aged, red barley Miso from them and it is just wonderful.   Not only does this unique, flavorful food taste unlike anything else, it is also ridiculously good for you!  Packed with active cultures that help in the digestive process, essential amino acids, protein, minerals and vitamins… this super food has been studied for centuries.  If you have never cooked with Miso before, give it a try!

Ingredients you will need:

For the Marinade:

• 2 tbsp Miso
• 3 tbsp real maple syrup
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

For the Tacos:

• 2 sweet potatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 2 cups of chopped romaine lettuce, or any green you like
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• corn tortillas

For the Dressing:                                                     

• 2 medium green chills
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1 cup of fresh basil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves
• small amount of ginger root
• two scallions, trimmed
• dash of salt and pepper

Mix the Miso, the maple syrup and the apple cider vinegar together.  In a bowl, toss the chopped sweet potatoes and the miso, maple, vinegar mixture together.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

in a frying pan, heat the butter and olive oil together for several minutes.  Add the onions to the pan, cooking on medium heat until they are translucent and starting to brown (about ten minutes.)  Lower the heat to a med/low setting and sprinkle the sugar over the cooking onions, continue to cook them for several more minutes until the onions are coated in the sugar and caramelized.

Mix the caramelized onions in with the marinating sweet potatoes. Now, spread the potatoes and onions onto a baking sheet, put them into your 350 degree oven. Let them bake until the potatoes are fork tender and the miso marinade has browned the potatoes (about 1/2 hour)- you will want to toss the potatoes once while they are baking as not to burn the sugars in the marinade.

In the mean while, prepare the taco filling and chill coconut sauce. If you haven’t already, chop your lettuce and avocado and set aside.  In a food processor, toss in all of the ingredients in the “dressing” list and blend until it makes a smooth and creamy sauce.

When the potatoes are done, you can prepare your tacos! Place a couple scoops of the miso maple potatoes and caramelized onions onto a corn tortilla, a handful of lettuce and avocado, and top off with the sweet chill coconut sauce. These tacos are decadent, flavorful, and put quite a spin on a hum drum week of left overs and repeat meals.  Not to mention this is a 100% vegan meal with amazing healthy benefits! I served these tacos with some eggplant bites, tossed in panco breadcrumbs and olive oil, baked until crispy and golden brown.