On the menu: Edamame Soup with Mushrooms and Spinach
When I was an undergrad, I never worried about what I was going to do after college because I always knew that I was going to go right to graduate school. I have spent this entire academic year with a constant undercurrent of panic, trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life once I had my degree. Today, I am delighted to share with you that I have an answer to that question. It’s not the answer I was expecting, and given my personal struggles with my Master’s program these last three years, what I’m about to say is kind of shocking.
I have accepted a four year assistantship to study for my PhD.
Two weeks ago, I was continuing on a frantic, eight month long search for employment in my desired field. I was getting nowhere, and I was constantly frustrated. Then one day, almost as an afterthought, my advisor alerted me to an opportunity for further study with a professor who I have gotten to know pretty well through my time here. I immediately sought out a meeting with said professor to discuss the opportunity, and it was everything I could have asked for. Although I was determined to take time off of school to build a career and possibly go back to school once Kevin finished his doctorate degree, it quickly became obvious that time off of school could not happen. So I submitted a formal application. And I was offered the job. I will be studying landscape ecology; more specifically, I’ll be examining the landscape level conditions of wild blueberry patches and their effects on native pollinators (honeybees) in Maine.
Who would have imagined that my Master’s degree and all the tears that went along with it would lead to this? I never thought I would be this exhilarated to continue on in school. Getting my Master’s degree has taught me so much, and it goes way beyond what’s written in my thesis. Now I have a much better handle on how to deal with graduate education than the naïve undergrad I was three years ago. I know that this is the right decision for me. And I cannot wait to see where this research will take me.
Our eating habits have also taken a new direction as of late. Kevin expressed an interest in going meatless for a while, and I was all for it. How long a while will last has yet to be determined, but we’ve been enjoying it so far. This soup is a great contribution to any vegetarian repertoire.
Edamame Soup with Mushrooms and Spinach
from Food Network
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 scallions, white and green parts separated, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound frozen shelled edamame (about 3 cups)
1 russet potato, peeled and diced (about 9 ounces)
Kosher salt
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cups baby spinach
1 to 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
Sriracha or other hot sauce, for serving
Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil, the scallion whites, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute, until softened. Add 7 cups of water, the edamame, and potato; season with salt and cover. Once the soup boils, remove the lid and cook until the edamame and potato are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then carefully blend with an immersion until you reach your desired consistency. We kept it slightly chunky; the original recipe advises you to blend until it’s smooth. (You can also blend the soup in batches in a traditional blender.) Keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then add the mushrooms and scallion greens. Cook until the mushrooms brown, about 3 minutes, and then add the spinach, stirring until it wilts. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper.
When ready to serve, gently reheat the soup and add rice wine vinegar. Ladle soup into 4 bowls and spoon some of the mushrooms and spinach into each bowl. Drizzle in the hot sauce as desired. Serve.
Oh wow, congrats!! That will be enjoyable for you, I hope:)
Jeebus I am so downtrodden about work. All I seem to be able to do is look on job sites all day long, seeing if anything has updated that isn’t a secretary or healthcare professional position. I’m even considering applying for jobs that are hours upon hours away, but then I am racked with guilt that I would think of doing such a thing. I AM GOING CRAZY!
Which I shouldn’t talk about here, this blog is about you. I should just say this soup looks lovely, I haven’t thought to process edamame into soup before, how wonderfully creative. Mmm, shiitake:)
I am really looking forward to this. It will be completely different from what I’ve been doing, and I need that change so, so badly.
Forestry firms should be CLAMORING for you to come work for them! You have mad skills and lots of relevant knowledge and experience. I don’t know much about jobs up there, but I sincerely hope you find something soon.
And the soup. Crazy concept, huh? I was intrigued at blending edamame, too.
That’s an amazing looking soup! Congrats on the PhD! I’m going into my masters this year. I can’t wait.
Thanks! And congrats to you as well. What will you be studying?
First; that’s awesome you chose to continue on and work towards your PhD. That is incredible.
Sometimes I find with myself that the things which frustrate me the most, take the most effort, drive me the most crazy, and keep me the most nights are the things I end up being the most proud of, and looking back on them, are the things I enjoyed doing the most. So maybe your Masters was the same for you. I bet it was harrowing and exhausting at times, but what an achievement! I can’t wait to hear about your research and your life while researching blueberries and honeybees in Maine. I bet it’ll be fantastic.
I don’t know if I chose to do this or if it chose me. It was all so oddly coincidental, you know? I’m still freaked out that I’m even doing this. Thank you for your wise words. It feels good to be done with my M.S. degree, and I am just SO ready to move on and do something new.
I think I might make those corn cookies this weekend. It’s time.
you put that perfectly: it DID choose you. i’m so totally excited for you i can’t even tell you. i loved school (college) because i pursued a degree i wanted, not that i felt i “had” to get, and i’ve always wanted to go back. but things pop up, so for now i’m going to live vicariously through you.
corn cookies! oh it’s definitely time for you to experience those.
I’m glad you got it all sorted. I’m still in the midst of my degree and was just until recently fretting about what to do with my life once I graduate. For me, food is such a strong passion of mine that I want to see myself doing that in the future, yet I want to strike that balance and not let my art degree go to waste.
Also, lovely looking soup, I really enjoy the asian flavours in it. and that colour!
Thank you! I am relieved as well. Food and art sound like a great pairing for a career–they both require lots of creativity and could be combined in a number of ways, I think. Doing something your passionate about makes working much easier!
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