Miso Soup with Shitake and Spinach (Made with Paste, Not Packets)

Miso Soup ordered from a Japanese Restaurant menu generally has bonito (fish) flakes, seaweed, tofu, green onion, and sometimes, shiitake mushrooms. However, the soup does not have to have all those ingredients to make it a savory, salty, palate-pleasing soup. The following recipe only uses three ingredients; only TWO of which are from the Asian market, and involves very little prep time. Packets of dry miso soup mix take even less time to prepare, but tend to have MSG, more sodium, and can get expensive.

Red miso paste and dried shiitake can generally be found at your local Asian market. Some specialty stores may also carry these items. If you absolutely love miso soup, the purchase of red miso paste is worth every penny; one pouch is enough to make several pots of this 15-minute soup. If red miso is not available, brown can also be used. Shiitake is not crucial to the soup, but it adds a wonderful earthy flavor to the dish. Either fresh or frozen spinach can be used in this particular recipe. I used frozen spinach  in this dish, as I find this freezer-section veg to be more convenient and usually cheaper than it's produce department counterpart.

Miso Soup with Shitake and Spinach

Yeilds: 2 Servings

Ingredients:

2 cups	Water
2 Tbsp	Red Miso Paste
1/2 cup	Dried Shitake Mushroom
1/2 cup	Spinach

Method:

1. Fill a small pot with the water, and add the dried mushrooms. Bring to a boil.

2. When water comes to a full boil, quickly turn heat to medium, and add the spinach. Cook for 3 minutes.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low. In a small bowl, dissolve the miso in a small amount of the broth. 

Da Paste

Dissolved Paste

4. Add dissolved miso paste to the broth, then serve.

Tips:
1. If concerned about salt intake, decrease miso paste to 1 Tbsp. Or, only consume a cup instead of a full bowl, which would be around 333mg of sodium.
2. If concerned about alcohol content (there is a very small amount) decrease to 1 Tbsp, and add fish sauce, bonito flakes, or nori if salt is still desired.
3. Bonito flakes should really be used to make this recipe more authentic, as bonito flakes are traditionally used to make the broth. In this recipe, shitake is used to make a mushroom broth. If you're up for buying more at the Asian market, I suggest buying the bonito flakes, which can also be used later in seafood soups.
4. To make this a more filling soup, try boiling frozen dumplings in the soup after step 1, but before adding the spinach. Or, cube silken tofu and add after step 2, but before adding the paste.  

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):

Calories: 53, Carbs:7, Fat: 1, Protein:3, Sodium: 831

Super Simple Stir Fry (Meat+Veg+Sauce+Rice= Win!)

Stir fry-style meals are incredibly versatile. All you need is vegetables, lean meat(s) or shrimp, a sauce or marinade, and rice or rice noodles.

Below is my favorite go-to recipe. To keep things simple, I myself generally use a bell pepper and whatever lean meat happens to be on sale for the week. This recipe includes a marinade that can also be used to make a very quick sauce afterwards, which can add extra flavor to the dish. The water in the recipe increases the volume of the reserved marinade and cuts some of the saltiness, and the sugar is used to thicken the marinade into a sauce, while giving it a sweet flavor.

The garlic, lime juice, Siracha sauce, and ginger powder can be varied according to your personal taste. I myself sometimes want more lime flavor, and other days I want a lot of ginger. Some days I want my meal super-spicy, and other times I prefer it mild. Also, keep in mind that fresh limes and fresh ginger produce a higher-quality taste, but in a pinch, bottled lime juice an powdered ginger can do the trick. Switching things up is fun, so feel free to experiment with this recipe!


Super Simple Stir-Fry
Yeilds: 1 Serving*

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Cooking Oil (preferably sesame)
1/2 lb Lean meat, cut into thin pieces (or shrimp)
1/2 Bell Pepper (and/or other desired veg), cut into thin pieces
Stir fry marinade/sauce (see below)

Simple Stir-Fry Marinade/Sauce Base:
3/4 cup      Soy Sauce (Low Sodium)
2-3 toes     Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp       Lime Juice
1 1/2 Tbsp Siracha
1-2 tsps     Ginger Powder

2 1/2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp       Water


Instructions: 
1) Cook rice or rice noodles according to package instructions. Set aside.

2) In a bowl or plastic storage bag, prepare marinade using all ingredients except sugar and water. Stir ingredients until well combined.
3) Marinate shrimp or thinly cut pieces in marinade for 20mins or more, according to desired flavor intensity.
4) If making Stir-Fry Sauce, separate meat pieces from marinade by draining marinade into a separate bowl or a measuring cup. Stir in 1 Tablespoon water. Set aside.

5) Pour cooking oil  into a skillet or wok and turn heat to high.
6) When cooking oil is hot, cook the bell pepper and marinated meat pieces until meat is fully cooked. (If using multiple types of meats and/or vegetables, cook veg and meats in order according to their cooking times.)
7) Serve with rice or rice noodles.

8) To make stir-fry sauce: 

1. Pour reserved marinade into skillet or wok.
2. Turn heat to high.
3. Sprinkle a small, even amount of sugar on top of marinade.
4. Stir, until sauce just begins to coat the spoon.
5. Turn off heat immediately.
6. Pour finished sauce on top of dish.

*All Measurements are approximated

Asian Market (Lots and Lots of Rice)

Today I re-discovered how awesome a giant Asian Market can be for my wallet.

Rice paper is my new best friend. I can't stand lettuce, but I don't mind it so much when it's wrapped in rice paper with cooked meat or shrimp and/or carrots and/or vermicelli noodles. I got some small wrappers to experiment seeing if I can make dumplings with them, or if I have to actually buy the frozen, doughier kind.
I made sure to stock up on rice noodles, too. The ones I get are only around $1 a bag, and I make sure to check the label for the ones that don't have to be soaked for 1 hour beforehand. I like to throw cooked rice noodles in homemade chicken vegetable soup and such when I make it.

I did splurge, though...since I had a little extra money, I decided to buy chocolates for myself, and bought another box for a gift. The most expensive item I bought was sesame oil. ...If you can call $4 expensive.