Warm Soba in Broth with Spinach and Tofu

Spring is not fully here on the East Coast yet, so on a recent chilly day I tried this recipe from Food and Wine Magazine and it hit the spot! I had some tofu in the fridge because it was on sale at Shaw's and I am a sucker for anything on sale! As I was trying to find a new recipe for tofu I came across this one and it made me feel ready to take on all of that school work that I have ahead of me. It has taken me awhile to truly enjoy anything with a seaweed or sushi taste, because when I was younger my brother took me out to eat and we went to a sushi place. He neglected to tell me that sushi was raw fish and because I have always hated fish you can imagine how I reacted when he told me to eat a huge piece with eel in it. Ever since then I have been scarred when it comes to anything seaweed tasting but luckily I have overcome this fear!

If you are ready for a filling soup that is sure to put a smile on your face try this and try to tell me you don't love it :)

Ingredients:
Serves 4

4 large shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
Vegetable oil cooking spray
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (see Note)
10 ounces soba noodles (see Note)
5 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons instant dashi or 1 tablespoon miso paste
4 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup finely shredded daikon
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 sheet nori seaweed, cut into 1/8-inch strips



Directions:

• Preheat the broiler. Spray the mushroom caps with vegetable oil cooking spray, season with salt and pepper and broil 6 inches from the heat, turning the caps once, until lightly browned and tender, about 6 minutes. Let cool, then thinly slice the mushrooms.
  In a small bowl, stir the sugar into the soy sauce and mirin until dissolved.
• In a large saucepan of boiling water, cook the soba noodles, stirring once or twice, until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain the noodles, rinse under cold water and drain again thoroughly.
• Add the boiling water and instant dashi to the saucepan. Add the tofu and shiitake and simmer just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach.
• Transfer the soba to 4 deep bowls and spoon the dashi mixture on top. Garnish the soba with the daikon, scallion and nori and serve right away, passing the soy sauce mixture alongside.

Nutritional Information:

1 Serving

328 calories, 3 gm total fat, 0.1 gm saturated fat, 64 gm carb.