Miso

I haven't been doing much lately. The head cold I got at the start of my time off, lead to bronchitis, it's getting better but not completely there yet. Still coughing but not as bad as before.

Yesterday I decided to pull out my slow cooker. I haven't taken it out in months, and it was nice putting together a stew. I put in some beef, along with a lot of vegetables. I used carrots, celery, onion, garlic, turnip, sweet potatoes, beets, and water chestnuts. For herbs I used oregano and basil, and of course some salt and pepper. For the sauce part, I used beef broth and some tomato paste. I used some spelt flour to thicken it. It turned out really good! And we have some left for some lunches this week.

Now I would like to discuss miso. It has a lot of great nutrition, and it's delicious!

Miso has a wonderful sweet/salty flavor that can be used in a wide variety of recipes. The color of miso can vary from light yellow, good to use in a sweet miso soup during warm weather, to a deep dark brown with earthy tones and hearty flavor.  And here are the benefits of miso:

1. Contains all essential amino acids, making it a complete protein.
2. Stimulates the secretion of digestive fluids in the stomach.
3. Restores beneficial probiotics to the intestines.
4. Aids in the digestion and assimilation of other foods in the intestines.
5. Is a good vegetable-quality source of B vitamins (especially B12).
6. Strengthens the quality of blood and lymph fluid.
7. Reduces risk for breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers.
8. Protects against radiation due to dipilocolonic acid, an alkaloid that chelates heavy metals and discharges them from the body.
9. Strengthens the immune system and helps to lower LDL cholesterol.
10. Is high in antioxidants that protect against free radicals.

Here's a great link with a video on how to make miso soup: http://skillet.lifehacker.com/a-video-guide-to-making-miso-soup-at-home-no-recipe-re-1694607730

It's really easy and delicious. You can add different vegetables to the soup if you want, and you can even add noodles. I found noodles at the T&T store near here, and they are mung bean noodles. They are a nice long thin noodle and take no time to cook and the ingredient listed is mung beans, that's it! If you don't like tofu, or if your unsure like me on how healthy it is, you can skip it.

If you have never tried miso, I suggest you give it a try. It adds wonderful flavor, and it's fermented, therefore it has great nutritional benefits.