Emptying My Fridge...To Make Flying Easier

No one likes to come home from vacation to have to clean out their fridge.  But if you're like me you don't like to throw food out either. Last night I tried to use the majority of my veggies in a saute but didn't finish all of them, however what I did have left didn't seem to go together well.  So I improvised...I tweaked my green miso soup recipe to make a variation on an amazing soup, threw together an arugula salad with sesame sauteed asparagus, finished my leftover black rice, and baked the last of my tofu.

METHOD
My green miso soup recipe from April is basically vegetable stock, onion, swiss chard, and sweet white miso.  Tonight I only had about a quarter of an onion and a bunch of daikon radish, along with bok choy, and swiss chard.  So I sauteed the onion and daikon with safflower oil until translucent.  I added 2 cups of vegetable broth and brought it to a simmer.  I cut the ribs from the chard and diced it with bok choy and added it to the pot.  Then I added two tablespoons of sweet white miso and simmered for one more minute. I let it cool for about 15 minutes and threw it in the blender. (When I have more time I plan to try this soup chilled).

For my salad I diced asparagus and sauteed it in a little water until it evaporated, then lightly sauteed it for another minute with sesame oil.  While the asparagus was still hot I tossed it with the arugula so it would wilt a little.  The tofu (a la Goldie) I broiled with EVOO and your choice of spices (I used lemon pepper) until golden on the edges.

My next hurdle was food while flying. For many of us finding good food while flying is difficult. So in order to clean out my fridge even further I have packed breakfast and lunch for tomorrow.  I have some leftover soup from tonight for breakfast, which I plan to eat before I leave for the airport, at 4 AM!!!!! Then once I'm on my flight I have leftover rice and half a banana (mashed banana and rice is a lot like oatmeal with rice but more hearty- I love it).  I put some arugula and crumbled pita chips in a little tupperware, which I plan to toss with some leftover tomato and olive saute from last night. And last, just in case I need a snack I have some edamame in a baggie, half an apple, as well as the last of my almonds. Happy travels!!!