Miso Soup, Two Ways

I've been eating miso soup almost daily lately, and I've settled upon two ways to prepare it. First I'll give you the fancy version, then the quick-and-dirty. :-)

If I have time to invest 10 minutes in preparation (sad to say, it's not always the case, though I'm trying to do better), here's what I do -

Miso Soup
serves two

2 cups water
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 dried mushroom
1 tablespoon wakame flakes
~ 1/4 cup cubed tofu (any kind will work)
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
1 rounded tablespoon red miso

In a small/medium saucepan, combine water, sliced carrots, sliced green onions, mushroom, and wakame flakes. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. While you are waiting for the water to boil, combine ginger, miso, and a splash of water (maybe 1 tablespoon) in a small cup or bowl and mix until the miso is creamy/dissolved. After you remove the water/veggies from the heat, stir in the cubed tofu and the ginger/miso mixture. Spoon into two bowls and enjoy!

The next option is for those times when you're feeling a bit peckish in between meals and want to have something healthy and warming to tide you over until lunch or dinner.

Super-Quick Miso Mug
serves one

2 teaspoons red miso
a pinch of ground ginger

Boil some water in a teakettle. While you wait for it to heat up, combine ginger, miso, and a splash of water (maybe 1-2 teaspoons) in a mug and mix until the miso is creamy/dissolved. Pour hot (almost boiling but not quite) water over the top to fill the mug.