Cover mushrooms with water and reconstitute for 20-30 minutes. In a separate bowl, reconstitute the wakame for 3-4 minutes. Chop the mushrooms into small pieces, and slice the wakame.

Heat the oil in a soup pan and add leeks or onion.  Sauté over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté for another minute or two.  Next add the mushrooms and continue sautéing. 

Add the water and bring to a boil. Add wakame, carrot, turnip, and greens and cover and simmer 10 minutes.  Next add the grated ginger.  Put the miso in a cup and dissolve with some of the hot soup stock.  Add to the soup and simmer gently (do not boil) for 3 more minutes.  Turn off heat and serve with a garnish of chopped scallions.

Note  - many popular cookbooks advocate using excessive amounts of miso.  This extremely health-supportive food can work against you when you use too much.  The general rule is 1/2 to 1 teaspoon miso per cup of liquid in soup.  Read Salt: Friend or Foe for more information about miso.

Dried Shiitake strengthen, detoxify, and restore.  They have proven pharmacological effects as immune regulators and antiviral and antitumor agents, and they improve the cardiovascular system.  Shiitake treats diseases involving depressed immune function, including cancer, AIDS, environmental allergies, Candida infections, and frequent colds and flu.  They soothe bronchial inflammation and reduce chronic high cholesterol.

Top quality shiitake mushrooms are called donko and are more costly because they are grown outdoors on hardwood.  Most commercial shiitake, especially those found in discount stores, are grown in a few weeks in warm conditions on artificial substrate & have weak therapeutic benefit.  Food is truly medicine when you buy quality and understand how to use it.