What I Need is Miso Soup

After a straight month of eating meat and sugar and butter and cream at nearly every meal, in large quantities, THIS is what I have been craving daily.
I made a lovely bowl last week that I was so excited to show you, but honestly, as soon as it was done I had to consume it immediately. So I have replicated it here. There is something so clean and comforting about Miso Soup.

So here is the rough recipe, always different based on what I have on hand, for Miso Love Soup. It is in no way meant to be authentic Japanese or officially macrobiotic, just what I learned from my mom.

• Carrots, onions, sea vegetable
• Kale, chopped
• 4 oz. firm tofu, cut into small cubes
  
• Water in a saucepan 4-6 c.
  
• White (or red or whatever) Miso paste, 2-3 tablespoons
• A shake each of sesame oil and brown rice vinegar
  
• Garnish of freshly chopped scallions and slivers of radish
• Sometimes I add some leftover brown rice or udon noodles if I am serving this for dinner.
  

First, get your pot of water on the stove. Miso is better prepared fresh, so don't go for quantity here. While this is coming to a boil, chop up your carrots and onions, and reconstitute your seaweed. When the water boils, add the carrots and onions, and boil them until they are just tender. Meanwhile, chop that kale up, and get your garnishes in order. Turn off the soup and remove it to a cool burner when the veggies are done. Remove a half cup of the hot soup water and blend your miso paste into it, making a thick-ish and smooth mixture. (Miso loses its healthy properties if boiled, so that's why you turn your heat off first, and also bear this in mind if reheating on the stovetop.) Add the miso mixture back into the soup and gently stir. Throw in the kale, and mix so it cooks, and the tofu. Shake in your sesame oil and brown rice vinegar. Serve in bowls, with lovely garnishes for beauty.