In Sickness

This year will be my ten year anniversary with Dandelion the Bitter Green. And while neither of us remembers exactly what we said in our vows (which gives us good loop holes for whatever we need, such as "you vowed to never steal the sheets") I'm pretty sure we included something about sickness and health. This week I've been sick and I've been so thankful that someone else in this household knows how to cook and can cook for me. I don't think I could heal as quickly if I were eating takeout every night. (Not that we didn't get takeout a few times.) Healthy food can not be underestimated for the healing properties it can give you. If you're feeling run down or like you have the cold/flu mega virus attacking my office, try cooking some healing food like miso soup and see how you feel.

Last Wednesday night we had pasta with baked tofu. Served with cauliflower and carrots.



Thursday night I was helping the Cheerful Baker pick her wedding dress so I picked Papalote's for burritos on the way home.

Friday night we had the crazy sweet potato green soup leftovers with extra veggies and rice and lentils.



Saturday night we ate at Samovar Tea Lounge after watching Avatar. Sadly I forgot to take any pictures in there because it was such a cellphone-free zone that I felt constrained. They did have delicious food paired with lovely teas.

Sunday night, because I was already sick, I made an old standby: roasted veggies. This time though I added a new dish: almond butter kale. I simply added almond butter and a few dashes of soy sauce to the kale as I was sauteing it. It was very easy and tasted great.



Monday night Dandelion the Bitter Green made me a meal to help me feel better. It was based on a meal we had at Manzanita a while ago: quinoa with rice, squash with cannelini beans, and carrots, kale, and hijiki seaweed simmered together.



Tuesday night: pizza. After being sick for three days sometimes takeout is the only option.

Wednesday night: More of the delicious quinoa/rice with a cauliflower curry and baked tofu with broccoli garnish.





This week's recipe: Miso Soup
*****************************************

We have miso soup every morning for breakfast and people have often asked me how to prepare it. Miso soup is very healing if you make it yourself. Often what you get in restaurants is incorrectly prepared and has none of the good enzymes that miso has.

Miso paste (often sold in the refrigerated section of a store in a small container)
Green onions, cut small (optional)
A little bit of seaweed (kombu or wakame, not nori which is the kind used for sushi)

I really like to do a mix of red miso (sometimes called brown rice, mugi, barley, or just red) and white miso (sometimes called mellow) but if you have to choose between them I'd err on the side of red. It's easier to have a nice flavorful soup with it. Boil some water with green onions and some seaweed (broken into small pieces). Once the water has boiled turn it way down to simmer, take out a small amount and let it cool slightly. You'll mix the miso in the water you took out b/c you don't want the miso to boil ever or you kill the good enzymes. Add two scoops of miso for each person. I use a regular eating spoon and don't fill it all the way but it's probably somewhere between a tsp and a tblsp. Mix that into the water you took out with a whisk if you have one. Then return it to the main pot. You can let it warm for a minute if you want so long as it doesn't boil. And that's it!