Oh the weather outside is frightful! At least for a Seattlite. I recieved two phone calls and numerous Facebook enquiries today from as far away as Florida asking "Are you OK?" as Yahoo! exclaimed it to be Snowpocolypse. Maybe it is the Minnesotan in me but I wouldn't call it that bad. We got three inches of white stuff and my Kale is covered.
Imagine a land with many hills and no snow plows where the use of road salt is restricted because of adverse affects on salmon and there you have Seattle. It makes for pretty snow scenes like this one taken by my friend Stephanie.
Photo by Stephanie Araiza and Arizing Spring, LLC enquiries for prints can be sent to arizingspring@gmail.com
Here is a self-portraint by Stephanie in the snow freezing her toes.
Another thing snowy weather is good for is sitting by the fire and eating soup. With the cold winds a blowin' this week I dipped into a lovely simple warm & healthy stand-by. Miso.
A perfect work-from-home winter warm-up lunch. I served mine with a little fresh baked gluten free bread and satsuma slices.
Miso soup is also extremely simple and quick to make. Its basic ingredients are Miso paste
onion (green or going non-traditional red such as in my picture)
greens (seaweed or spinach)
and tofu.
You can spice up the soup with a little shitake mushroom if you like.
I took them all and tossed them in a pot with water brought it to a boil and
boom! had some yummy miso soup to sip on to sooth the inner self.
Tomorrow or the next day
snow will melt
hands will stroke
the ax that
makes fire to warm souls
children will remember
white flakes that
fell to build
round people
who smiled with rock teeth
next to icy sidewalk
Shitake Spinach Miso Soup
3 cups water
2 Tbsp miso paste
4 shitake mushrooms (chopped)
1/2 cup spinach finely chopped
1/2 cup firm tofu (cubed)
1/4 cup red onion (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
Step 1: Finely chop the red onion and garlic and lightly saute with a tsp olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan.
Step 2: Add three cups of water and 2 Tbsp Miso paste.
Step 3: Stir in chopped spinach, shitake and tofu.
Step 4: Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat and serve.