Recipe:Mighty Miso Soup

Recipe: Mighty Miso Soup

(This recipe appeared in the January, 2011 issue of A Healthy You).

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes

Yield: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

• 4-5 cups spring water
• 1-2 inch strip of wakame, rinsed and soaked 5 minutes in 1 cup of water until softened 1-2 cups thinly sliced vegetables of your choice (see notes)
• 2-3 teaspoons barley miso
• 2 scallions, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Chop soaked wakame. Discard soaking water or use on houseplants for boost of minerals.
2. Place water and wakame in a soup pot and bring to a boil.
3. Add root vegetables first and simmer gently for 5 minutes or until tender.
4. Add leafy vegetables and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5. Remove about 1/2 cup of liquid from pot and dissolve miso into it.
6. Return it to the pot.
7. Reduce heat to very low; do not boil or simmer miso broth.
8. Allow soup to cook 2-3 minutes.
9. Garnish with scallions and serve.

Variations:

• Add cooked grains at the start of making the soup. They will become nice and soft.
• Add a tablespoon of uncooked quinoa or millet at the beginning and let it cook with vegetables for 20 minutes.
• Add cubed tofu toward the end.
• Add bean sprouts toward the end.

Notes*:

• Any combination of vegetables can be used in miso soup. Here are some classic combinations:
• onion-daikon: cleansing
• onion-carrot-shiitake
• mushroom-kale: mildly sweet
• onion-winter squash-cabbage:great in wintertime
• leek-corn-broccoli: great in summertime
• Season with 1/2 teaspoon ginger juice for an interesting twist.

*If using dry shiitake mushrooms, let them soak for 20 minutes, slice and add at the beginning.