Miso soup with buckwheat, bok choy, shitake

I could live on soup.  It's warm, it's comforting, it's delicious.  You can make soup out of anything, and I can make a big batch of it and have it ready to eat for days.  You know my motto, cook once, eat twice! 

I have a gluten intolerance so I've been experimenting with grains.  Buckwheat is gluten free and it's a good replacement if you miss pasta like I do. And it's inexpensive. I go to the local Asian market and buy a package that contains about 7 or 8 bundles, which equates to enough for 7 or 8 meals, and it's only a few dollars. 

This soup takes some preparation so get into the kitchen and do all your chopping.  Once that is done it comes together very quickly.  For me it's always the washing and slicing and dicing that takes up so much time and energy.  I try to get his done early enough so that once we are hungry I can just get into the kitchen and this will be on the table in 10 minutes. 

This soup is aromatic and great for cold and flu season. The mushrooms and ginger are immunity building! 

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp olive or coconut oil 
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger 
4 scallions
3 garlic cloves, minced 
4 oz shitake mushrooms 
1 small sweet potato 
4 oz buckwheat noodles 
1 baby bok choy 
1 handful sugar snap peas 
1/2 cup white miso 
Lime wedges 
coarse salt

Peel and very finely mince the ginger. 

Slice the scallions and separate the white and green parts.  You will use the white parts to saute into the soup and green parts as a garnish when its done. 

Mince the garlic. 

Clean and slice the mushrooms. 

Peel the sweet potato and cut into 1 inch cubes. 

Wash and slice the bok choy into 1 inch slices.

Prepare the sugar snap peas removing any strings.

Dissolve the miso in a small amount of hot water so its ready to pour into the soup.

Cut the limes in wedges. 

In a medium pot heat the oil, add the ginger, scallion whites, and garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Do not burn the garlic.   Add the sweet potatoes and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender about 6 to 8 minutes.  

Meanwhile cook the buckwheat noodles according to package directions.  Pour into a colander and allow to drain well. 

To the soup add the bok choy, mushrooms, peas, cook 1 minute.  Reduce heat to low and add the miso.  You  never want to boil miso.  Cook one minute more keeping the veggies crisp tender.

To serve:  Put noodles into the bowl, add some of the soup, top with the scallion greens and a wedge of lime. 

Serves 4.