Miso Soup

Ingredients:
2 cups low sodium chicken broth (must be low sodium of the soup will be very salty)
2 c. water
1 stick wakame seaweed (optional)
2 teaspoon tamari/soy sauce (low sodium tamari is better if you have it) OR 2 teaspoons dashi (nomoto) (this is a fish sauce)
2 - 3 tablespoons red aka miso (the dark kind)
4 mushrooms, finely sliced
8 oz. block firm tofu, chopped into half inch cubes
3 green onions, sliced fine with light and dark parts, distributed amongst four bowls
1/2 tsp. hot sesame pepper oil (optional)

Directions:
1. Combine broth and water in saucepan, bring to boil, add the seeweed (optional) soy sauce and fish sauce (optional) then reduce heat and let simmer for 20-30 minutes.
2. Place miso in a cup, add about one cup of the heated liquid and stir vigorously until miso is mostly dissolved.
3. Pour miso mixture back into saucepan (do not let boil it kills the nutrients and flavor) and stir briefly.
4. Add the mushrooms and chopped tofu, simmer for 2 minutes
5. ladle into 4 bowls and top with green onions. Serve with a dash of the sesame oil if desired. 4. After you've made sure everything is dissolved that should be, you ladle this mix over the chopped tofu that you've placed in the soup bowls, and sprinkle the whole thing with the chopped onions. In the past, we've added a dash of toasted sesame seed oil at the last minute.
~*~ From Suzy ~*~