Miso Soup

Once in a while we take Kenya out to dinner. I say "once in a while" because my husband gets so stressed out about keeping an eye on Kenya that it can take away some of the fun. In order to enjoy ourselves more, we try to take Kenya to restaurants with dishes he loves that are fun for him to eat too. Japanese restaurants are great for this reason. We order him edamame (always a favorite since he gets to pop the beans out in his mouth), a vegetable sushi roll (so fun to pick apart) and miso soup. He loves drinking the soup straight from the bowl and picking at the tiny pieces of seaweed and tofu that are left over. Miso is a traditional japanese food that is prepared by fermenting rice, soy or barley. There are different varieties such as light, dark, red and yellow miso, but each has its own distinct salty flavor which makes it even more delicious when added to spreads, marinades, sauces and soups. It's also high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals which is great for kids.

We had a ball trying out this recipe in the weelicious test kitchen. We bought several different types of miso paste and tried making the soup 10 different ways. The star of the test, was this recipe. It's a traditional preparation and it takes only minutes to prepare. And last, don't get freaked out by the ingredients kelp and bonito. They are delicious, inexpensive and so good for you. You can find them at most supermarkets in the international section or in health food stores. Once your kids start slurping up this soup on a regular basis, you can start experimenting by adding all kinds of other veggies such as edamame, broccoli or anything else your kids love.