Vegan Miso Soup

My record with healthy eating is inconsistent  For example, here’s a recent meal of mine captured on SnapChat:

Yes, that’s right, Taco Bell and KFC on the same plate. Who was I to leave my Quesarito™ lonely? With the company of mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and a biscuit, this plate formed a family. A family which I ate in its entirety.

These culinary lows happen more often than I share on social media. When I’m feeling like I owe my body an apology, I make miso soup. Inspired by a recipe my mom loves, this miso soup is simple, quick, and can be made with whatever vegetables you have on hand. If you’re sneaky it’s possible to cook a single serving in one pot, but I always miscalculate how much food I’m adding and end up eating three bowls, largely defeating my attempt at being healthy.

Ingredients:

• Unsalted vegetable broth
• Tofu
• Noodles
• Carrots
• Mushrooms
• Broccoli
• Miso

The first step is to get some broth on the stove. I highly recommend Trader Joe’s Miso Ginger Broth, but vegetable broth is fine. Or you can use a mixture of broth and water because you overestimated how much broth you had left. It’s really up to you.

While your broth is heating up, prep your veggies. The size of your vegetable determines how long they will need to cook and therefore how long you have to wait before eating, so I like to slice my carrots thin.

Broccoli is hands down the best vegetable in the world, despite what the average four-year-old thinks.

Remember that my love for mushrooms defies all logic and reasoning.

I normally don’t eat unadulterated tofu, I prefer it fried to a crisp and covered in sauce. Sometimes I’ll leave it out of my miso soup but I know it’s good for me protein calcium iron ugh

The trick here is to order the ingredients so they will be done at the same time. This will vary depending on the size of your vegetables and what type of pasta you are using. In general, the carrots and broccoli will need a head-start. If you are super lame you can cook your pasta separately, but I am an expert on the timing of miso soup and on eating overcooked vegetables.

Today I used whole wheat thin spaghetti, because that’s what my roommate left on my shelf when she gave up eating pasta in favor of frozen pizza. We all know regular spaghetti is more delicious. You can also omit the pasta if you’re a better person than I am.

I usually add in the tofu last so it doesn’t get mauled by the stirring and boiling. Once everything is cooked, carrots and broccoli fork-tender, serve up a bowl of soup.

The miso should be added right before eating. If you’ve never worked with miso you may be tempted to just plop some into the soup. Definitely don’t do this because you will end up with flavorless broth and day-ruining chunks of salty miso. Instead, employ a technique that my father believes he created. Use your ladle to gather some hot broth and mix the miso into that broth until it dissolves. Then incorporate this mixture into the whole bowl.

You can add as much as you’d like. I love miso, as demonstrated by my cavernous tub.

This soup needs a fork and a spoon, but I also encourage slurping from the bowl. Enjoy!