Macrobiotic Meal of the Month - January 2009

This was one of my children's favorites when I was living with them up in Bethel, Maine, where they went away to school from 2001-2003. I had been studying and eating a macrobiotic diet (centered around whole grains, vegetables and beans) for about 2 ½ years when I moved there to cook for them. Knowing what I had learned about diet and health, I felt I couldn't have them eating institutional food (food high in fat, high in animal protein, high in sugar, many processed foods, low in fresh vegetables and low in fiber whole grains) for three meals a day during their growing years. So, we lived together in a small house, and I cooked for them twice a day. If they wanted to bring a lunch to school, I made that, too.

(Later, their school started serving brown rice after I donated a rice cooker and the rice! They also started serving a vegan entree daily or a vegan soup.)

This soup became a weekly favorite meal for my kids, served with brown rice and steamed broccoli. The broccoli stems are used the soup, so I always steam the broccoli flowerets as a side dish. (Whole Foods!)  
I made sure to always cook a lot of fresh vegetables and sometimes oven-roasted them, too.

If you're looking for a tasty soup that both adults and kids will like, try this one!

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HOT & SOUR SOUP

¼ pound seitan, shredded
½ teaspoon soy sauce, plus additional to taste
1 teaspoon mirin
2 teaspoons kuzu
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil (optional: hot pepper sesame oil)
1 small onion, cut into very thin half-moon slices
4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked until tender, thinly sliced
3-4 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
5-6 cups spring or filtered water
1 broccoli stalk, peeled and cut into fine matchstick pieces
½ pound extra-firm tofu, cut into tiny cubes
1 tablespoon kuzu dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water
1-2 tablespoons umeboshi vinegar
2-3 scallions, thinlysliced, for garnish
(Optional) 1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated, make into a ball in your palm, squeeze into each bowl of soup, if desired.

Cut seitan into matchsticks and place in a medium bowl. Combine ½ teaspoon soy sauce, mirin, kuzu and sesame oil in a small bowl. Toss with seitan pieces. Set aside.

Over medium flame, heat sesame oil in a soup pot. Add onion, sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté 1-2 minutes. Stir in seitan, sauté briefly. Add water, cover and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Stir in broccoli and tofu cubes. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes. Season to taste with soy sauce, simmer for 5-7 minutes. Stir in dissolved kuzu until soup thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.

Remove soup from heat and season lightly with vinegar to taste. Serve hot, garnished with scallions. Serves 6.

Enjoy!  ~Meg