Hey Everyone and Happy Monday!
Spring weather is nearly here! Yet, there is still a bit of a chill in the air making it difficult to transition my wardrobe and my food choices. I just got back from an awesome but chilly hike in Bear Mountain and despite the sunshine, I’m just not feeling a salad, so instead, I am turning to a tried and true favorite, a soup that is light and healthy and perfect for this not-quite-yet spring weather.
In today’s Motivational Monday I am going to show you how to make miso soup from scratch and also how to turn this light, appetizer soup into a hearty meal with just a few added, nutritious ingredients.
Miso is fermented paste made primarily from soy (the fermentation process making it a healthy soy option) that has been shown to help balance hormone levels in women, making it a great seasoning to include during menopause. It has also been shown to have protective properties against breast cancer. Adding vegetables, ups the nutritional profile for the antioxidants they contain.The salmon is a good source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids that in turn benefits the cardiovascular system. To me, this is nutritional goodness in a bowl that your entire body benefits from!
Miso soup from pre-packaged boxes tends to be loaded in sodium and MSG, ingredients that get in the way of the many health benefits of miso. And these are unnecessary additives since this is one of the simplest broths to make! All you need are some basic ingredients to create the base of this deliciously nutritious soup.
By adding fresh vegetables, rice noodles, and a piece of wild Alaskan salmon, you have a hearty and healthy meal in just minutes that will keep you satisfied for hours.
Check it out and see what you think. And then as always, I want to hear from you! Do you include miso as part of your health regime? If so, how? Do you have any preferred ingredients you like to include in your miso soup? And of course, once you try the soup, I’d love to hear your feedback.
So while the weather still hovers between winter and spring, and it’s still chilly enough to enjoy soup consider including this light soup in your routine…. you’ll be happy you did!
Have a great Monday everyone and I look forward to hearing from you in the comments below-
xo
B
Ingredients
- 4 cups Water
- 2 or 3 Strips of wakame seaweed, cut into pieces
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1/2 cup maitake mushrooms
- 3 shitake mushrooms, slices
- 4 stalks of baby bok choy, sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon of miso paste (or more, to taste)
- 2 stalks scallions, sliced
- few dashes of tamari
- few dashes toasted sesame oil
- one dash chili oil
- cooked brown rice or noodles if desired
- 1 piece of salmon filet, cut into small pieces
Directions
Simmer water with wakame over medium heat. Add scallions, tamari, sesame oil and hot chili oil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the salmon pieces and simmer of an additional five minutes. Place 1 tablespoon of miso in a cup and add a few tablespoons of the soup liquid and dissolve the miso on the cup. Shut off the heat of the soup, add the miso that has been dissolved in the cup and also add the cauliflower, bok choy and mushrooms. Cover pot and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Serve with cooked brown rice. Adjust flavors as desired.