Unfortunately I have no camera this week. Pictures are to follow.

This recipe is from the Milf Diet by Jessica Porter

Miso soup

2 Dried shittake mushrooms

1 Cup warm spring or filtered water

4 Cups spring or filtered water (or homemade vegetable stock)

2 Tsp wakame flakes

One 1-inch piece daikon, thinly sliced into half moons

4 Tsp barley miso, aged at least 2 years

1 Scallion, thinly sliced

Soak the shittake mushrooms in the warm water for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve the soaking liquid. Remove and discard the tough stems of the shittakes and slice the caps into thin strips. In a saucepan, bring the 4 Cups water, the wakame, the shittakes, and the soaking liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add daikon and simmer for 3 more minutes. Remove about 1/4 cup of the stock and add the miso to it. Using a suribachi and surikogi (Japanese morter and pestle) or a cup and spoon, puree the miso until it is smoothly integrated into the stock. Pour the miso liquid back into the soup. Simmer over very low heat for 3 more minutes. Do not let the seasoned soup come to a boil – boiling will overcook the live enzymes. Serve in individual bowls and garnish with the sliced scallion.0

-Yum Yum ! You can call me Milfy anytime! 

Unfortunely I am without a camera this week. Pictures will follow.

Q: What do you call a baby potato?

A: A small fry!

Q: What do you call a potato that is never motivated, but are content to watch others? A: “Speck Tators”!

Miso soup with potato

This is the basic miso soup recipe by Aveline Kushi with added potato.

1 3-inch piece dried wakame

1 Cup thinly sliced onions

1 Quart spring or filtered water

11/4-11/2 Tbsp miso

1-2 Cups, potato, peeled and thinly sliced

Chopped scallions, parsley,ginger or watercress for garnish

Rinse the wakame in cold water for 3-5 minutes and slice it into 1/2 inch pieces. Put wakame and onions in a pot and add water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat,add the potato and simmer for 10-20 minutes, or until tender. Reduce the heat to very low but not boiling or bubbling. Put the miso in a bowl or suribachi. Add 1/4 cup of the broth from the pot and puree until miso is completely dissolved  in the liquid. Add the pureed miso to the soup. Simmer for 3-5 minutes and serve. Garnish with scallions, parsley, ginger or watercress.

Potato jokes from-www.jokes4us.com

Unfortunetly my camera is on the blink. Photo’s will be posted at a later date.

Miso soup with bean sprouts

- Mung bean, lentil,broccoli, alfalfa…….

4 Cups filtered water

1/2 onion, diced

1 Inch piece of wakame, soaked and diced

2 Cup sprouts of any kind

1 1/2 tablespoons mellow white miso

In a medium pot, bring water,onion and wakame to a boil. Turn down heat to low and let simmer for 5 min. Add sprouts and simmer for 1 more minute. Useing a small sieve, push miso through to disolve into the soup. Simmer for another 2 minutes.

-This is a great spring miso!

Miso soup with deep fried tofu

This recie is similar to the miso soup with croutons recipe,  just substitue tofu instead of croutons.

2 1/2 Cups filtered water

1- 1Inch piece of wakame, soaked and diced

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 Pound extra firm tofu, cubed

sesame oil

2 Scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal

2 Tsp brown rice miso, diluted in a little hot broth

In a small pot bring water, wakame and onion to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes.  Add Miso and simmer for 2 more minutes. Turn heat off.

In a separate frying pan, fry  the tofu cubes in a little sesame oil.  Untill nice and browned.

Serve Miso with a couple of the tofu and a sprinkle of scallion.

Miso soup with fresh shittake

This warming soup is from The Good Morning Macrobiotic Breakfast Book by Aveline Kushi and Wendy Esko

4-5 Cups water

1/4 Cup dry wakame (1/2 ounce), soaked and sliced

5-6 Fresh shittake mushrooms, de-stemmed and quartered

1 Tablespoon bonita flakes (optional)

1/2 Cup snow peas, de-stemmed

1/2 Cup firm- style tofu (4 ounces), cut into 1- inch cubes

11/2-21/2 tablespoons pureed miso

yield: 4-5 cup servings

Place the water in a pot, cover and bring to a boil. Add the wakame, cover, reduce the flame to medium-low, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the shittake mushrooms and the bonita flakes to the soup. Cover and simmer 4-5 minutes. Place the snow peas and the tofu in the pot. Reduce the flame to very low. Dilute the miso with a few tablespoons of the broth and add it to the soup. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove and place in serving bowls.

-It was cold and snowing here today (yes snow) and this was such a good soup! I used barley miso for this. I omitted the bonita.

Miso soup with curry pumpkin

This recipe is by Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian Cookbook.

4 Cups kombu,dried mushroom or vegetable stock

2 Tbsp peanut or canola oil

1 Medium onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

2 Cups(about 3/4 pound) peeled pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

2 Tsp curry powder

21/2 to 4 Tablespoons miso

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

Put the oil in a medium pot and set over medium heat. When hot, put in the onion. Stir and fry until translucent, turning the heat down a bit, if necessary, to avoid browning.  Stir in curry powder and saute for 30 more seconds Put in the pumpkin cubes and stir once or twice. Now put in the stock and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat down to low, and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, or until the pumpkin is just tender but retains it’s shape. Put the miso in a small sieve and lower it into the soup (you may have to to move the pumpkin pieces aside). Push the miso through with a spoon. Turn off heat, stir once, and serve sprinkled with the cilantro.

-This soup is delicious!! I made the mistake of adding a stock that had sea salt in it and was overwhelmed. I had to add a few more cups of water. I also used buttercup squash. The cilantro was a nice touch! 

Miso soup with soba noodles and snow peas

6 Cups filtered water

1 large onion, diced

1 -1 inch piece wakame, soaked and diced

2 cups snow peas, de-stringed

1/3 Lb soba noodles broken in half

2-21/2 Tbsp brown rice miso

In a large pot bring water to a boil, add onion and wakame. Turn down heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add soba noodles and cook according to box instructions (3-11 minutes). Add snow peas and simmer for 2 minutes. Using a sieve , blend miso into soup by pushing miso through the sieve. Simmer for 2 more minutes. Do not bring to a boil.

-The kids really like this soup! They love soba noodles. This is a strong soup and good for a rainy day.

This is a nice recipe by Aveline Kushi

Miso soup with brown rice and scallions

1 3- inch piece dried wakame

2 Cups sliced scallions and scallion roots

1 Quart spring water

2 Cups cooked brown rice

11/4 to 11/2  Tablespoons miso

1 Scallion, sliced for garnish

Rince off the wakame quickly and soak it until it is soft. Remove the wakame from the soaking water and cut it into 1/2- inch pieces. Put the 2 cups of scallions and the wakame in a pot and add water to cover. Bring to a rapid boil. Add the rice and remaining water. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Put the miso in a bowl and add 1/4 cup of the broth from the pot and puree. Add the puree to soup and simmer for a few minutes. Garnish with the sliced scallions and serve.

 -This is a great recipe to use leftover rice or other grains. I had some nice cooked quinoa and so I used that instead of the brown rice. Came out great! 

Miso Soup With Dandelion And Bok Choy

This Lovely recipe is from “The Kind Diet”-by Alicia Silverstone

1/4-1/2 Cup onion, cut into a large dice

1 Whole scallion, roots and all sliced thinly on the diagonal

2″ Piece dried wakame, cut into small pieces with scissors

1 Tsp sesame oil

2″x4″ piece brown rice mochi, quartered

Shoyu

1/4 Cup diced rutabaga

1/4 Cup diced green cabbage

2 Large bok choy leaves, white and green parts chopped separately

11/2 Teaspoons barley miso

11/2 Tsp mellow white miso

5-7 dandelion leaves, leafy parts only, cut into bite sized pieces

1 Sheet nori

Bring 21/2 Cups water to a boil in a medium pot. Lower the heat, and add onion, scallion, and wakame. Simmer while you prepare the mochi.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the mochi to the pan, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, checking to make sure the mochi doesn’t burn. Flip the mochi, drizzling each side with a couple of drops of shoyu. Cover the pan, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer. The mochi is done when it expands and begins to look puffy.

While the mochi cooks, continue adding vegetables to the soup. Start with the rutabaga. When it has simmered for 5 minutes, add the cabbage and white part of the bok choy. Simmer for 1 minute. Place the miso in a small cup, stir in a few tablespoons of the soup broth , and then add it to the soup. Simmer the soup for 2 minutes, making sure not to boil the miso. Stir in the dandelion greens and the green part of the bok choy just until wilted and still bright green. Remove the pot from the heat.

To serve, ladle the soup into small bowls. Rip the nori into bite sized pieces, and sprinkle on each serving. Top with a fried mochi square.

-This is a lovely soup. A little bitter. I added an extra cup of water because I found it needed more broth. 

Q. What vegetable do plumbers like?
A. Leeks

A man goes to the doctor with a leek sticking out of one ear and a potato out of the other ear. He asks the doctor what’s wrong.

The doctor thinks a lot then tells him “Well, for one thing, you’re not eating correctly”.

Miso soup with leeks

4 Cups filtered water

1-1 inch peice kombu, soaked and diced

2 Cups leeks (greens included), cleaned and sliced thin

1 1/2 tbsp mellow rice miso

Bring water and kombu to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add leeks and simmer until soft about 5 minutes. Place the miso in a small sieve, lover into the soup and disolve miso. Simmer for another 2 minutes and serve.

-I absolutely LOVE leeks. Eating them always makes me feel relaxed!