After the big scary event two weeks ago, (never to be mentioned again), my brother and sister-in-law came for a visit. We needed to be with each other. And Alice being a chef, wanted to cook for the weekend. I couldn’t wait, and wasn’t at all surprised when watching her come up the walk toting a large soft, mobile cooler. And two bags.
Who comes with not one, but two banana cakes, a plethora of veggies and a couple tubs of Miso? Alice does. She used the miso as a marinade, which she lovingly brushed onto the sweet potatoes before roasting. I knew when I saw those small containers; one was Traditional Umami Paste White Miso, and the other Traditional Dengaku Miso Sauce, I was given this week’s blog. Thanks Alice.
Miso Soup with Greens and Tofu Ingredients
Serves: 2
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Gluten free
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 sheet nori (dried seaweed) Nora Seaweed Snacks
- 3-4 tbsp white or yellow miso paste
- ½ cup chopped green chard
- ½ cup chopped green onion
- ¼ cup firm tofu (use silken tofu for a more traditional miso soup)
Miso Soup with Greens and Tofu Recipe
- Place vegetable broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer.
- In the meantime, place miso into a small bowl, add a little hot water and whisk until smooth. This will ensure it doesn’t clump when added to the soup later. Set aside.
- Cut the chard off of the stem by running the knife blade down along side of the hard stem. Stack the leaves and then chop. Add to the broth.
- Cut off the white portion of green onions and the chop. Add to the broth.
- Cut the tofu into small cubes. Add to the simmering broth.
- Cut the nori into long rectangle strips and stir into the soup.
- Remove from heat and add miso mixture, stir to combine
- Taste and add more miso or a pinch of sea salt.
- Serve warm. Best when fresh.
Let’s take a look at Miso and why it’s so darn good and good for us. I wasn’t a very adventurous eater growing up, actually I was forty before I had my first sushi. 40!! I was amazed at how delicious it was, granted it was a California Roll (I tend to take baby steps). But, it was the miso soup served in the rust colored guy won that stole the day. Pure comfort. When I saw I could buy it in pouches at Safeway, and just nuke it right there in the office microwave, I became hooked.
And like so many things, I overdid it and went back to my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. After Rick and I became empty nesters we would treat ourselves to Friday nights out, and so many of those sweet dinners, getting to know each other again, we found ourselves at a hole in the wall sushi bar. Not fancy, but crammed with like minded people many of which were glued to the TV set hanging above the bar. It was definitely a San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warrior hang out. Some of us, (me) couldn’t help but join in the cheering and moans along with the rest of the crowd.
Back to miso and it’s origin; from Casa Sensei Pan Asian Latin Fusion.
“Miso soup represents the very foundation of traditional Japanese cuisine. Today, it is served and eaten throughout the world. Some statistics have shown that about 75% of Japanese eat miso soup once a day. It became very popular among the Japanese during the 13th century and during the Japanese civil wars. (I didn’t know about their civil wars. I love learning the history through food).
The preparation of Miso soup is simple—– the two main ingredients are miso paste and dashi. Dashi is a traditional Japanese fish stock and serves as the base for the Miso soup (didn’t know that). It is made from dried sardines, dried seaweed, and dried bonito mushrooms. However, miso paste is the ingredient that influences the flavor of the miso soup the most.”
“Miso was believed to have originated in China and later introduced to Japan more 1,300 years ago by Buddhist priests. It was made with fermented mixtures of salt, grains, and soybeans and used as a way to preserve food during warmer months.
Miso is rich in minerals like zinc, copper, and manganese, as well as various B vitamins and vitamin K. Soy miso also contains phytonutrient antioxidants. And as a fermented food it also provides beneficial bacteria for the gut.”
I’m going to leave you with a new salad dressing I’ve flipped out on.
Quick Ginger Garlic Miso Tahini Dressing Ingredients
Serves: 12
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Gluten-free, Vegan
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 1 heaping tbsp freshly peeled grated ginger or finely minced
- 2 tbsp garlic infused olive oil
- 1 heaping tbsp white or yellow miso paste
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2-3 tbsp water
- Pinch of salt
Quick Ginger Garlic Miso Tahini Dressing Recipe
- To a medium bowl add tahini, fresh ginger, garlic infused olive oil, miso paste, rice vinegar, maple syrup and whisk to combine.
- Add water until a creamy, pourable sauce is achieved. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, along with more vinegar for tanginess, maple syrup for sweetness, miso for strong miso flavor, ginger for zing or salt salt for saltiness.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5-7 days.
(My 28 year old mom after having four kids in 4 1/2 years!)
Happy Mother’s day! Keeping it real, I’m going to share some hilarious quotes that I know we can all if not relate to, agree on:
“I always say if you aren’t yelling at your kids, you’re not spending enough time with them.” – Reese Witherspoon
“I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.” – Phyllis Diller
“Silence is golden. Unless you have kids, then silence is suspicious.” – Anonymous
“Mom, I love you and your super long voicemails” – Anonymous
“I’ve conquered a lot of things…blood clots in my lungs— twice..knee and foot surgeries… winning Grand Slams being down to match point… to name a few, but I found out by the hardest is figuring out a stroller! “ – Serena Williams
“Sitting alone in the bathroom with the door locked and eating Nutella.
How’s your day going?”
And lastly, it was Mother’s Day morning around 1989 when I was given instructions to not move and stay in bed. There was a little scuffle in the kitchen between Clare and Anni over who was going to serve my coffee. I could hear the rattle of a full cup being carried in on a tray by Clare and told again. “Relax. We’re cooking you breakfast.”
I snuggled down in the covers and enjoyed that cup of coffee while reading May’s Reader Digest, but I couldn’t block out the pandemonium going on in the kitchen. As I lay there loving my little family from afar, “It’s burning!.” reverberated through the bedroom wall. Followed by a yell and someone screamed, “Don’t get blood in it!” It took super motherly effort not to get up and investigate. Rick was in the kitchen, if stitches were needed, he’d know, I told myself.
Rick came in with a big smile, and Clare and Anni shared carrying the full tray delivered; plated scrambled eggs, bacon, very crispy toast and a bear claw danish. Followed by Peter with a whipped frothy glass of orange juice. It was very sweet, though I did notice there were dried tears on Anni’s face, but I couldn’t see a bandaid on anyone. Looking back on 44 Mother’s Day celebrations, this is the only one I remember well; perfectly imperfect.
Ciao for now 🙂
Correction; last week I posted a picture of a parsnip, when in fact it was a turnip. I’m mortified! Here is a parsnip, looks a lot like a rutabaga to me.
The recipes are a must try.
Love the quotes and the Mother’s Day vignette even more.
Happy Mother’s Day!
You’re home!! I just remembered that Anni went shopping with Rick for my gift, and they got me a black and white striped bikini 🙂
See you soon!!