Miso soup is a Japanese soup traditionally made with a salty paste from fermented soybeans and  dashi, which is  a fish based broth. But it's very easy to make a vegan version at home.  Japanese have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  It’s very light, with a soothing and mild flavor; so many people have it as a starter, side or snack. I load mine up with fresh shitake mushrooms and kale to make it a main dish. My husband has his with rice too. It’s an easy, healthy, affordable and filling meal.

We all know the nutritional value of kale, it’s rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories.  It’s high in iron and calcium: a great SUPERFOOD addition to an already healthy meal.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons miso paste
• 8 cups of water
• 1 cup of shitake mushrooms
• 1 ½ cup fresh kale
• ½ package firm organic tofu, diced (4 oz.)
• 2 green onions, sliced into ½ inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• one sheet of nori (dried seaweed) cut into pieces
• ½ teaspoon of sesame oil *optional

Directions:

1.   In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine kale, shitake mushrooms, green onions, seaweed and water; bring to a boil.

2.   Reduce heat to medium, and whisk in the miso paste.

3.   Stir in diced tofu, soy sauce and sesame oil, if using.

4.   Simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.

 * You can add garlic, fresh minced ginger, shredded carrots, spinach, green peas, broccoli, kelp noodles, soba noodles, rice, etc.

* There are different kinds of dashi: made from kombu (dried kelp), katsuo-bushi (dried bonito flakes), niboshi (dried small sardines), hoshi-shiitake (dried shiitake mushrooms), and more. Kombu and hoshi-shiitake dashi are known as good vegan stocks. If you do happen to find these, you can add two teaspoons for extra flavor.