Five-Minute Miso Soup

 

Let me just put it out there. I hardly ever get sick. The last time I had a really bad cold or fever was maybe my freshman year of college. Chalk it up to good nutrition, I guess, but I've been pretty blessed over the years. So you can imagine my surprise when I came down with a really nasty sickness about a week ago. Granted, I had just come off of a whirlwind trip across the country to the New York to visit family for Christmas, which means germy airplane air, lack of control of my meals, and not the best sleep. Coupled with what apparently is a weakened immune system during pregnancy (I read somewhere that a pregnant mama's immune system is lower than average), it became pretty clear that my body couldn't take it all.

 

So of course, I've been doing everything that I possibly can to fight this bug naturally. Ginger tea, leafy greens, boat loads of citrus fruits, lots of water, raw honey, garlic...you name it. I've been resting as much as I can (when I'm not busy coughing up a lung...) and slowly but surely, it seems to be helping. I'm not out of the woods yet, but getting closer.

Miso soup is perfect when you're sick. It's incredibly healing and it only takes minutes to make. I kept mine super simple, but made sure to include a few superfoods. I added four types of seaweeds, including wakame, arame, dulse, and nori. And I grated lots of ginger into the broth for an extra immune system booster. And, I added a bit of fresh cilantro, even though it's not traditionally seen in miso soup. So whether you're sick or you're just in the mood for a quick little miso soup, I've got you covered with this five-minute recipe.

Miso Soup (serves 1)
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons (or more to taste) miso of your choice
small knob of fresh ginger, freshly grated
2 tablespoons seaweed of your choice
1 scallion, thinly sliced
a few cilantro leaves

1. Add water to a tea pot. Bring to almost a full boil and then turn off the heat. While the water is heating, add the miso paste, grated ginger, seaweed, chopped scallions, and cilantro leaves to a bowl.

2. Pour a few tablespoons of the hot water over the content of the bowl and mix until the miso becomes a thin paste without clumps. Add the rest of the water to the bowl, stir, and enjoy.

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