With Vitamin D-producing shiitake mushrooms and fermented rice, this super simple and easy to make vegan miso soup is a perfect way to ward off the winter blues.
The Story:
I recently got an email asking about “Top Healthy Food Trends of 2015.” Fennel, I thought. It’s very versatile and has such a unique flavor and crisp texture. But it’s also January and the sun where I live isn’t out much (though November and December are the cloudiest months of the year) and last January was when I began having problems with my left ankle.
X-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs, and a blood test later, I found out that I had a double stress fracture and very low levels of Vitamin D. The doctors put me in a boot and prescribed 50,000 IUs of Vitamin D a week.
Though I take my prescription vitamin, I’d rather do things more naturally. So when I came across a Prevention magazine piece about how mushrooms will actually produce Vitamin D when exposed to UV light, I started stocking up on mushrooms. It doesn’t matter if the UV light is from the sun or artificial, the effects are the same.
The day we made this soup was sunny, so as we were prepping the scallions and bringing the water to a boil, we had our daughter Samara take out the shiitake mushrooms, spread them out on a plate, and put them in direct sunlight. We let them soak up the ray’s for a good 20 minutes. According to a Penn State study, mushrooms exposed to UV light after harvesting produced significant amounts of Vitamin D. In fact, mushrooms will even tan, or get browner, when exposed. Knowing all this, I replied back to the email that I believed mushrooms should be a top healthy food trend for 2015. I know me and mine will be eating more of them (after exposing them to sunlight, of course.) And with a recipe that’s as easy as this vegan miso soup with shiitake mushrooms, there are no excuses.
Gather your tools. You’ll need:
1. sharp knife 2. measuring cups 3. 1 quart measuring cup 4. large pot 5. spoon
Gather your ingredients. You’ll need:
1. miso paste 2. sushi nori sheets 3. scallions 4. shiitake mushrooms 5. salt 6. pepper
Vegan Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1/2 cup miso paste
8 cups (2 quarts) water
2 sheets Nori (dried seaweed sheets)
1/2 cup chopped green onions (about 4)
~ 3.5-4 ounces (with stems attached) shiitake mushrooms (about 1 and 1/2 half cups of caps when sliced)
salt and pepper (to taste)
Directions:
Measure out miso paste and put into large pot. Add water and set heat to high, stirring well.
Meanwhile, tear nori into small pieces or strips and add to pot. Chop green onions (scallions) into 1/4 inch pieces and add to pot.
Cut stems off shiitake mushrooms and slice or dice caps (your preference). Add to pot.
Bring soup to a hard boil and then reduce and allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Vegan Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms Printable
If you like this, you may also like:
Three Pepper Soup
Thyme-Infused Carrot and Fennel Soup
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