Miso Soup

I am a soup and stew gal! I could slurp on soup for the rest of my days and be perfectly content. There's just something so romantic and cozy about a warm bowl filled with gorgeous vegetables and savory scents. My ideal day includes rainy grey weather, snuggly blankets, a cup of tea, some freshly baked bread and a pipping hot bowl of soup. I'm not a hard lady to please let me tell you! While I adore soups of all textures and varieties, Miso has a very special place in my heart. Unfortunately, the miso from most packages and restaurants likes to bring along it's little friends Mr. Sodium and Mr. MSG. These little fellows leave that little place in my heart feeling mighty clogged and tight. But never fear! This little recipe will leave you feeling fresher and more energized than before! No salt overkill over here! If you haven't made miso soup before this recipe may seem a little daunting and time consuming, but I assure you it's really quite similar and honestly it takes about as long to prepare as your server would take to get it to your table. So dance your happy butt into the kitchen and get chopping!

Yields 6 servings

Ingredients

Fixings

4 tsp olive oil divided

2 cups of cubed extra firm or firm silken tofu

1/2 cup of the white portion of green onions thinly sliced (save the greens for garnish)

2 cups of small shiitake mushrooms (or small cubes from larger mushrooms)

2 cups of kale cut from the stem and torn into bite sized pieces

2 cups of uncooked brown rice noodles

Broth

4 cups of vegetable stock or vegan chicken stock

2 cups of water

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp miso 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

1. In a skillet sauté tofu in 2 tsp of olive oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 mediums up until the sides begin to turn gold. Remove from heat and set aside

2. In a separate skillet sauté green onions and mushrooms in the remaining 2 tsp of olive oil for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and set aside

3. In a large pot combine vegetable stock, water, and spices over medium heat. Allow broth to simmer for 5-7 minutes or until hot

4. In a large bowl soak noodles in warm water for 1 minutes to loosen and soften them

5. Add cooked tofu, onions, mushrooms, kale and softened noodles the the broth. If you desire you can add the sliced green portion of the onion at this point. Allow the soup to simmer for an additional 5 minutes then serve