Easy Miso Soup for One

As I work on creating interesting and healthy meals for myself, I like to experiment a little with flavors.  I'll be the first to admit to being a lazy cook.  I also possess the wimpiest taste buds when it comes to spicy.  So I'm always a little nervous when I play around with new recipes.
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Will it be too spicy?
Will it be too complicated?
Will it be too much food?

I can safely say, this is a simple recipe to follow, not at all spicy (in fact, you may want add a kick to yours if that's your thing), and it's serving for just one!

Although, it was actually too much for me to finish for dinner.  I think this is best to be made when you have a hearty appetite or as an appetizer to share with a friend before dinner!

Let me also add - I searched around for Miso Soup recipes a lot before coming up with this one.  2 big things I notice - they used vegetables that I don't typically have on hand (seaweed, chard, kale, etc.) and the recipes were for much larger quantities.

Why is this important?  Well, I stumbled on Miso (and wanted to give it a try in my kitchen) because it is a probiotic.  I don't like most probiotic foods and had had Miso Soup before in restaurants and enjoyed it.  The thing is, Miso Soup is supposed to be made fresh. To preserve the effectiveness of the Miso in your system and so the tofu doesn't get mushy.  If I were to make this with a recipe for 4, it would lose the health benefits that I am looking for in it.

Additionally, having the Miso and Tofu on hand in my fridge is fairly easy.  So to utilize vegetables that I am already eating made sense to me.  If you're eating chard or kale or seaweed on a regular - go ahead and tweak the recipe to work for you!  Or add anything else that suits your fancy.  Make it your own!  I may try it with shredded carrots and cabbage next time!

Easy Miso Soup for One

Ingredients:
1 can vegetable broth
2 ts. Miso paste
2 ts. hot water
3 oz. silken tofu
3 oz. broccolini
1 cup (raw) spinach
2 TB. chopped green onions

+ In a small sauce pan warm the vegetable broth and green onions on a low heat just before it boils.

+ While the broth is heating, steam the broccolini and the spinach.  (I have a microwave vegetable steamer.  The broccolini I steam for 5 minutes, the spinach for 1 minute.  Feel free to do this on the stove top or however you normally steam your veggies.)

+ In a small dish combine the miso paste and hot water. Use a small whisk to loosen the paste into a smooth liquid.  (You can also use the broth, once it is hot.)

+ Cubed the tofu into bite size pieces.

+ In a large serving bowl lower the spinach then broccolini.

+ Add the miso mixture to the broth (that is now hot) and whisk to combine.

+ Pour the miso broth mixture over the vegetables.
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+ Add the tofu cubes on top.


It might seem like a lot of directions, but it happens very quickly!  Also note this is a vegetarian / vegan recipe, so a perfect option for Meatless Mondays!