Winter Comfort Food, the Fresh Way

Cold weather has a way of making us want to hibernate – and stoke the carbs: cookies, crackers, French fries, mac & cheese, and any number of heavy, meaty, casserole-y types of things. Heavy foods may seem like just the thing you want. But, many of these foods come with a heavy price of empty calories, and little nutrition: you end up paying later with sluggishness and weight gain.

Even our go-to, quick nutrition-boosting smoothies and juices aren’t that appetizing in cold weather.  It helps to have something warm that expands in the stomach, to lend that feeling of comfort and satisfaction.

Winter places a lot of stress on the body. It’s common to become dehydrated, due to dry heat, adjusting to the change in temperatures from indoors to outdoors, and simply forgetting to drink water. A tall cold glass of H2O isn’t very appealing when you’re shivering your tail off.  It takes more energy to stay warm, and depleted energy can compromise the body’s resistance. 

Soups are an easy answer at this time of year. Homemade soup is one of the quickest, easiest and healthiest ways to refuel. Done right, soup is hydrating, filling and calorie conscious, while packing a nice energy punch.

Today, I made a fabulous soup in less than ½ hour, and it has left me feeling terrific – full of energy, yet relaxed and satisfied. The secret ingredient: Miso - Keep some in your refrigerator, it’s amazing.

Miso is fermented soybean paste, a staple of Japanese cuisine. It makes a super healthy, flavorful broth in seconds flat. If you can't find it locally, order here: https://www.great-eastern-sun.com/shop/miso-master-

Here’s how to make the soup:

Easy Bok Choy Soup

1 small bunch of (organic if possible) bok choy; the white part should be firm and unblemished, and the green tops should look alive and not wilted; you could also use two or three baby boc choy;

2 – 3 Tablespoons of unrefined coconut oil

¼ cup to ½ cup of mixed dried sliced mushrooms (shitake, chanterelle, oyster, etc)

1-1/2 cups of water

½ cup of tofu, cubed

2 Tablespoons of miso paste (mild white miso)

½” slices of hard squash, such as delicate, acorn or butternut

Soy sauce to taste

Start by bringing the water and dried mushrooms to a boil in a small saucepan, and preparing some water in a pan to steam the squash. Wash the bok choy thoroughly, trim the stem end, and then slice into bite-sized chunks. In an iron skillet over medium to high heat, melt the coconut oil. When a few drops of water pop and sizzle, add the bok choy. Sautee it, stirring every minute or so; while you’re doing this, reduce the mushrooms to a simmer, and add the sliced squash to the steamer.

It takes about 5 to 7 minutes for the stems of the bok choy to start looking translucent. Remove the mushrooms from the heat, and pour the entire contents of the pot in with the bok choy. Turn down the heat to low, and add the cubed tofu and miso paste. Stir a few times, and turn off the heat. Stir the mixture, smashing the miso and making sure that it is fully incorporated. 

Transfer to a large soup bowl, and top with the sliced squash-which just needs to be soft when you poke it with a fork, (you can eat the peelings if you want-they’re good!), and a few shakes of soy sauce. You won’t believe how delicious this is! So refreshing and healthy. Enjoy!