A Hill of Beans

I have rediscovered an old favorite today. Edamame (eh-dah-MAH-may), otherwise known as soybeans. I first started eating edamame while living in Japan. My friend Laura was telling me how much she and her kids liked to snack on them. My first thought...."Eeewwww!" But, I trust Laura's opinion so I thought I'd give them a try. And you know what? They're really good! And they don't just taste good, they're really good for you. A half cup (shelled) serving contains: only 120 calories, 11 grams of protein, all 9 essential amino acids, 9 grams of fiber, 130 mg of calcium, and many other nutrients that work to keep us healthy.
I would snack on these fairly often while living in Japan, but when we moved a lot of our eating habits changed as well. Imagine my surprise when I found frozen edamame in the grocery store here! I snatched up a bag.... and it sat in my freezer for about 3 months :o) Today I finally decided to cook some up with our lunch. My kids aren't picky eaters anyway, but they really liked these... especially because of the fun you can have popping them out of their pods. I only had about 1/4 cup of edamame, but that combined with some leftover baked chicken kept me full all day.
Now it's your turn! I hope you will be able to find this wonder food at your local grocer. Look for it in the frozen vegetable section. Make sure you look for edamame and not soybeans. Edamame is a specialty soybean that is harvested while green and is usually sold still in the pod.
Cooking these little treats is super simple. Bring water to the boil, add about 1 Tbsp of salt, then add your edamame and cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain and enjoy. Remember, you only eat the beans and not the pods... they pop out really easy.
Here's another recipe that I enjoy for Roasted Edamame. These are really great for snacking and you can change up the spices to suit your tastes.
Let me know if any of you try it out!