Miso Happy Soup

Some days, Folks, you gotta take a mental health day and just make some soup.  Today was one of those days.  It's freezing, work has been beyond stressful, and I just wanted to huddle under a blanket, watch reality t.v. and eat soup out of a mug.   Unfortunately, I haven't gone shopping in about forever, so I had to create something from my nearly-bare cupboards.  Good news is that I am ALWAYS up for a soup challenge and as long as I have water and some random ingredients I usually luck out.    I made today's soup with wheat berries because, as a whole grain, a wheat berry is a veritable powerhouse of nutrition.  I also used wheat berries because I didn't have anything else on my empty shelves!

4 cups water
1 cup wheat berries
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon Earth Balance (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 (.7 ounce) packet of powdered miso soup mix (enough for 2 servings.  This is optional.  If you don't have it, just taste the broth and add more of the other seasonings to taste)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup collard greens, drained
1/2 brick of extra-firm tofu, drained and cubed

1.  Bring water to boil with all the ingredients added except collard greens and tofu. 

2.  Once boiling, add the collard greens and tofu, cover and reduce heat to simmer for about 40 minutes, or until the berries soften.  Wheat berries will not be as tender as, say, barley when done, but will soften up quite a bit.  They have a chewy texture and a nutty flavor.

3.  Stir occasionally as it simmers, making sure that the wheat berries are not sticking to the bottom.  When berries are tender, taste broth again and add seasoning if needed.