A Quick Vegan Miso Soup

It's that weird part of middle Tennessee winter here in Nashville where the weather can't decide what it wants to do. A week ago it was 2 degrees, today it's been a pleasant 56. These types of weather changes in a typically humid climate are absolutely wonderful for someone who has an allergy to leaf mold like myself. Fortunately, earlier this year I discovered an absolutely brilliant, quick homemade remedy for feeling blue - miso soup.

And, yes, this recipe is vegan! A good portion of the time, the base for miso soup is made with bonito flakes. I've found that mushrooms make a delicious vegan substitution. After trying a few different types, wood ear mushrooms and Shiitake seem to add the best flavor.

This recipe takes about 5 minutes of prep work and is ready in less than 30 minutes, meaning that there's just enough time to have a cup of tea and curl up on the couch while it's getting ready.

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 Cups Water (Filtered)
• 1 Tbsp Nori or Wakame Flakes
• 3-4 Wood Ear Mushrooms, whole -or- 6 oz Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 3-4 Scallions, chopped
• 3-4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 8 oz Firm/Extra Firm Tofu, diced into small cubes (appx 1/2 each)
• 1/4 - 1/2 Cup** Miso Paste(s)*
• 1/2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1/2 Tsp Soy Sauce

In a soup pot, add water, Nori flakes, garlic and mushrooms. Bring to a rolling boil, then add the scallions and drop the heat down to low.

Once the soup has almost stopped boiling (around 15 minutes), add the diced tofu and stir. This will drop the temperature down to the appropriate temperature to add the miso.

Add whichever miso paste(s) you have chosen for the recipe, as well as the sesame oil and soy sauce. Stir until the miso paste has dissolved. You could actually eat it at this point, but I like to let it sit for about 15 minutes on low after this, and then serve. It really melds the flavors together.

Important Note: Do not allow the soup to boil after adding the miso paste. This will completely change the flavor of the soup. (It also removes some of the health benefits)

Additional Note: If you're using wood ear mushrooms, they're there more for flavoring, so I typically remove them at serving time. If you're using Shiitake mushrooms, leave them in. They're delicious :)

* The miso paste type(s) you use will define the flavor of the soup. Yes, that's type(s), with a parenthetical 's'. I typically use more than one type of miso paste when I make this recipe, depending upon what I have in the fridge and what my mood is. My absolute favorite is using 1/3 cup of red miso and a 1/3 cup of chickpea miso (which is a bit more difficult to find). However, I've found that about a 1/3 cup of white miso and a 1/3 cup of red miso creates a nice, light flavor.

** This recipe can go anywhere from miso-y to extremely miso-y fast, depending upon how much you use. I like mine to be extremely miso-y, so I typically end up using more towards the 1/2 cup range.