Miso Soup with Tofu & Vegetables

This is one of my favorite comfort food soup recipes. It is light, but nutritious & especially beneficial when recovering from any type of a viral infection.

Ingredients:
5-inch piece of wakame (type of seaweed, may use dulse or arame instead)
6 cups of water
1 medium potato, peeled & diced
1 large carrot, chopped
5-6 large fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
A handful of fresh enoki mushrooms, whole
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil for sauteing the mushrooms
4 tablespoons light or mellow unpasteurized miso paste (I use Westbrae Natural's Organic Mellow Brown Rice Miso Soybean Paste)
1/4-1/2-lb firm tofu, cut in cubes
2-3 cups of fresh baby spinach (may use other chopped greens such as watercress, kale, collards, or bok choy)
2-3 cloves of crushed garlic
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Place wakame in a bowl of cold water & soak for 5 minutes. Put water, potato, & carrot in a 3-quart pot; bring to boil. Remove wakame from water & chop into small pieces, removing the spine. Add chopped wakame to soup. Lower heat, cover pot & let soup simmer for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. In the meantime, sautee the shiitake mushrooms in olive oil & add to the soup (I use my cast iron skillet for this). Near the end of cooking time, add chopped greens, garlic, tofu cubes, enoki mushrooms & let simmer for 2-3 minutes more. Add the miso paste in the very end (it's most beneficial when unpasteurized & doesn't require boiling). Garnish each bowl with scallions.

Side notes:
Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt & fungus kojikin for several months. It is high in protein & rich in vitamins (especially vitamin B) & minerals. The taste, aroma, texture & appearance of miso vary by region & season. The most common flavor categories of miso are Shiromiso (white miso), Akamiso (red miso), Awasemiso (mixed miso) & Hatchomiso. A common Japanese breakfast is built around rice & miso soup, with the addition of leftover fish, chicken or other meat from dinner the night before.

Enoki mushrooms have a mild flavor & crunchy texture. Traditionally, they are lightly cooked, but can be eaten raw. They contain a powerful anti-cancer polysaccharide called flammulin. Enoki also stimulate the immune system & have antiviral & antibacterial properties.

Cooking in cast iron skillet will add necessary iron to your diet. When food is heated in cast iron (especially foods high in moisture & acidity like tomatoes), trace amounts of iron leach out of the cookware & into the food.