Edamame is so good
My first experience with edamame was at a Japanese restaurant ages ago. Where, I don’t remember. A bowl arrived at the table, steaming hot and sprinkled with coarse salt. I remember being instructed to pop the little green beans out of the pods. They were delicious and simple. What I didn’t know at the time was that edamame are young soybeans.
Edamame has been enjoyed for centuries. The earliest written reference dates to 1275 Japan, when a Buddhist monk thanked a parishioner for a gift of the young green soybeans.
For years, tofu has been my go-to plant-based protein. Then I tried a bunch of other products – veggie hotdogs and sausages, Beyond Burgers, and the fake chicken nuggets. The processed stuff they say isn’t good for you, so I mostly eat tofu these days. Anyone who cooks with it regularly knows the drill: drain it, press it with a can of tomatoes, wait, more paper towels, drain again, season it, and then finally cook it and hope it doesn’t stick to the pan.
In my head, buying the container of edamame at Key Food was a special treat, and I convinced myself that edamame was expensive. Then one day, I actually looked at the price and realized the cost was about the same as many of the veg-protein things I was already buying. It was one of those lime neon-green light bulb moments.
Now I’ve been buying Edamame on the regs, and putting the beans in my salads. They are so satisfying. Edamame has a hearty, meaty, creamy texture that makes for a substantial meal. The flavor is mild and a little sweet, use salt! A handful of edamame in a big bowl of salad can hold me over all afternoon. And I dress the salads differently, so I have variety.
Note: Trader Joe’s sells long-lasting, shrink-wrapped Edamame that’s cheaper than most supermarkets.
Also, I just want to say that bright lime green makes me happy. The beans look fresh, healthy, and alive, just how I want to be. And the bright color translates great in my Instagram photos. Silly, I know, yet important to me.
I did a little reading on edamame after learning they are cute, young soybeans, and learned they’re packed with nutrition. They’re one of the few plant foods considered a complete protein, meaning they contain nine essential amino acids our bodies need. A one-cup serving provides about 18 grams of protein along with fiber, iron, folate, and many vitamins and minerals. The combination of protein and fiber helps keep you feeling full, making edamame a fantastic food for energy and health.
