Serve this easy miso sauce over pan-sautéed tofu or tempeh, or toss it with noodles. It’s also delicious over steamed broccoli and summer or winter squashes. Miso, a fermented paste made of soybeans, comes in several varieties; read the article on miso ^[1]on VegKitchen’s Healthy Vegan Kitchen page.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 to 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unbleached white flour
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh or jarred ginger, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons miso, any variety
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• Pinch cayenne pepper or dried hot red pepper flakes, optional

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and sauté over low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion is lightly browned.

Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it dissolves. Stir in the ginger.

Combine the miso with 3/4 cup of water in a small bowl and whisk until dissolved, then slowly pour into the saucepan. Simmer over very low heat for 3 to 4 minutes; do not boil.

Add the sesame seeds and the optional cayenne. Adjust consistency with water if too thick, then remove from the heat. Serve at once.

• Here are lots more recipes for simple sauces and such. ^[2]