Mushroom Miso Soup

I don’t know about you, but I thought spring was supposed to be warm! I mean, I realize that this is Ohio, but going from 82 to 28 in a week is just plain torture. As a result of this flip-flop weather (and I don’t mean sunny with sandals) I have come down with some sort of gross nasal crud. To warm up and fight this icky drippy nose, this Mushroom Miso Soup is just perfect. Check it out if you too are mad at the weather and trying to decide whether to unpack the shorts or just live in a sweater forever….

The best part about this soup is that it comes together in seconds. Because, let’s be honest, no one feels like making anything complicated when they’re sick. Plus, it’s the last week of school and exams, presentations, and papers are consuming my life!

I combined a few different recipes for miso soups I’ve seen on the web including this one that used lemon and ginger in the soup. The addition of these two cleansing ingredients makes this soup a powerhouse for kicking the crud! Oh, and it makes the souuuuper (see what I did there…) delicious!

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Making this only takes about 20 minutes, perfect if you’re under the weather or just need a little warm up! Try it today to soothe your cold weather frustrations!

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Mushroom Miso Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Serving Size: 2 cups

The perfect comforting soup if you're feeling under the weather or are trying to warm up while waiting for spring!!

Ingredients

  • 4-5 Tbs organic white miso
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 Tbs freshly grated ginger root
  • 1 Tbs low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • Juice of one lemon, 3-4 Tbs
  • 8 oz. baby ‘bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 4 sheets of nori (dried seaweed), sliced into strips (optional)
  • ½ block extra-firm tofu (optional)
  • 1 Tbs sesame seeds
  • 3 green onions, green parts only, sliced lengthwise

Instructions

  1. Add water and miso to a small pot and heat over medium or medium-high heat.
  2. Add remaining ingredients through tofu, if using, and heat for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a DRY pan, watching carefully, until lightly toasted.
  4. Divide the soup between two bowls and top with sesame seeds and green onion.

Notes

The miso and ginger may settle to the bottom of the pot or bowls while you make this. Whisking it gently mixes everything back together and ensures you get a spoonful of goodness each time.

http://areyoukitchenme.com/mushroom-miso-soup/

Spinach Soup

Oh man, this soup you guys. Oh man

This dish never should have happened. But WOAH am I happy that it did. We had plentyyyy of leftovers in the fridge. In fact, I deliberately made a huge casserole on Sunday so that I could focus on schoolwork and buckle down all week before midterms. Focus… HA. Who was I kidding? Of course, I got bored and needed a study break. And of course, I was hungry. It’s pretty much a constant state.

Spinach Soup 4

Lucky for me, we had a plethora of yummy greens in the fridge.

Spinach Soup 3

Even though we had tons of greens, I didn’t want a salad. I mean, give me a break, it was single digits out!! I knew I wanted a soup but I also knew I shouldn’t waste too much time… That meant no standing in front of the stove for an hour simmering, stirring, simmering, stirring… No one likes doing that anyways. The good news about this Super Greens Spinach Soup is that it comes together in a flash! Seriously, start to finish it probably took me 20 minutes. And I’m not exactly a speedy cook. Oh, and I won’t judge you if you want to use one of those “steam-in-bag” pre-cut bags of broccoli for this… Because buying, chopping, and steaming whole broccoli is great, but during exams ain’t nobody got time fo’ that.

Spinach Soup 2

With all the green, vibrant veggies yet warm, comforting nature of this soup, it’s a complete win-win! Try it tonight!

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Spinach Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 3-4 Servings

This warm, comforting soup comes together in a flash but is packed with bright, fresh greens! The perfect soup to keep you warm while loading up on veggies!

Ingredients

  • ½ yellow onion
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 3-4 cups broccoli florets
  • 3-4 cups spinach
  • 1 avocado
  • ½ green apple
  • ¼ cup cilantro
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 cloves roasted garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • Optional: Cashew cream, sour cream, or Greek yogurt for serving

Instructions

  1. Roughly chop the celery and onion and add to a sauté pan over medium heat. Sautee for 5-6 minutes, just until they are translucent and sweating. Add spinach and toss until lightly wilted, no more than 1 or 2 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, steam broccoli for 3 minutes just until tender.
  3. Add warm veggies to blender with broccoli, flesh from the avocado, chopped apple (leave skin on), cilantro, garlic, and 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth.
  4. Add remaining water until soup reaches desired consistency.
  5. Add salt and pepper gradually, testing for flavor.
  6. Optional: Add soup to a pot and heat gently until warm.

Notes

If you don’t have any roasted garlic on hand, you can sauté some raw, chopped garlic with the onions and celery. If you are interested in a raw diet, this soup can be made by just adding all of the raw veggies to a blender and serving chilled.

http://areyoukitchenme.com/spinach-soup/

TVP Chili

“What the heck is TVP?” Direct quote from my mother.  Yes, it sounds more like an ingredient in fixing car engines and less like a vegan protein source.  The only ingredient listed on the package (I use Bob’s Red Mill) is “defatted soy flour.”  The jury is out on whether this is a healthy product or not.  I like it because of its high protein, fiber content, and chewy texture. Some argue that it is highly processed, lacks nutritional value, and should be left alone. I’ll let you make up your own mind.  If you’re interested in learning more, Google it. For now, I’ll treat it as a processed product that I’m ok eating now and then as an easy meat substitute.

Ok that being said… Let’s get down to this chili!  I was inspired by the recipe on the bag of TVP and decided to give it a few tweaks and try it out!

Texturized Vegetable Protein. Friend or foe, you decide.

Texturized Vegetable Protein. Friend or foe, you decide.

After prepping and chopping all my veggies and gathering ingredients, it was time to play with this new ingredient.  In order to use the TVP, you have to rehydrate it.  It comes in dry, hard little pellets that smelled a bit like a grain or flour, a bit nutty, a bit sweet.  Rehydrating is where the flavor infusion occurs.  I threw it in a bowl, dolloped some ketchup on top, and poured boiling water overtop per the bag instruction.  Immediately, it started to soak up and disappear into the TVP and it almost resembled the cooking of quick oats.  After letting it soak, the spices go in- I included a picture of this step because it looks like a LOT.  You’re going to think you’re overdoing it, but consider that this is where all of the spices for the entire pot of soup come from.  Don’t be shy about really dumping it in.  Once that’s been seasoned and fluffed with a fork, this looks a lot like you run-of-the-mill chili recipe.

Dry TVP with big blogs of ketchup ready to be rehydrated.

Dry TVP with big blobs of ketchup ready to be rehydrated.

After the boiling water was dumped over.

After the boiling water was dumped over.

Told you it looks like a lot of spices….

Told you it looks like a lot of spices….

Once mixed and fluffed it takes on the texture and flavor of ground beef!.. Almost.

Once mixed and fluffed it takes on the texture and flavor of ground beef!.. Almost.

Get the veggies sautéing in a large pot or dutch oven to cook them down.  Once the onions are translucent, just dump everything else in!  Then pop the lid on and simmer it for about 30-45 minutes.  Stir in the frozen corn and cook for about 15 minutes more or until the corn is cooked through.  That’s it!  This makes about 16 cups of chili which is  TON, so I recommend freezing half if you don’t think you can eat it all in a week. I somehow managed to devour all of it.  But you might not be a crazy soup fanatic like myself.

TVP may not be a perfectly whole, unprocessed food but in my opinion, it beats ground beef in the health department any day!  Plus it’s delicious, chewy, and easy to work with!  Win win win!

Finished product served up with my favorite multigrain chips!

Finished product served up with my favorite multigrain chips!

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TVP Chili
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 16
 
TVP acts as a substitute for ground beef in this hearty, yet super low-fat, chili!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups TVP (Bob's Red Mill)
  • 2 Tbs ketchup
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1 jalepeño, seeds and ribs removed, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbs chili powder
  • 2 Tbs cumin
  • 2 Tbs ground oregano
  • ½ Tbs Adobo seasoning, optional
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 15oz can dark red kidney beans, not drained
  • 1 15oz can low sodium black beans, not drained
  • 4 14.5oz can petite diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 1-2 cups water, depending on desired consistency
Instructions
  1. Add TVP and ketchup to a bowl and pour two cups of boiling water over. Let soak 5-10 minutes then fluff with a fork.
  2. Add spices to TVP mixture and mix well.
  3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add onion, peppers, and garlic. Stir for about 4-5 minutes, until onions are mostly cooked.
  4. Add TVP mixture to pot and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add beans, tomatoes, and water and simmer covered for 45 minutes.
  6. Add corn and stir, then simmer another 15 minutes until corn is heated through.
  7. Serve in bowl with chips or crackers. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 cup Calories: 150 Fat: 1.2g Carbohydrates: 24g Sugar: 7g Sodium: 250mg Fiber: 8g Protein: 11g Cholesterol: 0

 

Thanks for reading! Enjoy!