Sweet & Salty Edamame

When it comes to snack time, salty wins over sweet any day. And a little salty on top of sweet ain't so bad either :) 

It wasn't that long ago when I first tried edamame.  With a quick steam and a sprinkling of sea salt, this quickly became one of my go-to favourite healthy snacks.

Until....I was at a restaurant with a friend who had ordered an appetizer plate of edamame and I tried a bite...

Whole. New. Ballgame. 

Gawsh, drooling just thinking about this. 

Of course, I had to jot down the flavours, the sweetness followed by a salty zing, I couldn't forget these lip smacking tastes! A few attempts to make this at home and I got there quickly. After my last attempt at this recipe, while in between bites my husband proclaimed "YOU NAILED IT!!"  So fast and easy to make, and such a great snack when watching your favourite binge worthy Netflix series.  

Ok, now for the healthy scientific stuff...

Soy is a great source of Energy, Protein, Fiber, and Calcium and contains all essential Amino Acids to name a few.  They're low in calories, & there is no cholesterol!
But as much as I love to nibble on this healthy snack, I try not to eat these on a regular basis.   

Edamame are the not-yet matured versions of the soy bean. Soy (young or matured) has high amounts of the hormone disruptor phytoestrogen, which increases estrogenic activity in your body and can cause many issues, including reproductive problems.  Whether you're young, old, male or female, hormones play a huge role in our whole body health. Something I'm learning about more and more as I get older. 

Also, when you buy any soy (beans, edamame, soy milk, tofu etc.) you should always buy Organic. Soy beans grown in North America, are most likely from Genetically Modified (GMO's) soy beans, which are linked to all sorts of health problems, issues, bigger issues and even bigger ones. You can read more about GMO's here. 

Organic soy are not GMO, so you're safe there.  

Bottom line, eat or drink your soy in moderation and always organic, and you'll get all the positive and healthy benefits from this little bean.  

Back from my babble... 
...if after all that, you're still interested in this recipe, here it is! 

Ingredients :

2 cups frozen Organic Edamame (in shell)
Sauce: 

1/2 tsp Garlic (approx 1-2 cloves) peeled and grated or minced

1/2 tsp grated Ginger* 

1 Tbsp Maple Syrup

1 Tbsp Organic Gluten Free Soy Tamari

1 & 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

1 Dash Vegan Worcestershire Sauce

Pinch or two of Flaked Sea Salt

1/2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

Equipment Needed : 
1 skillet or frying pan
1 small pot and basket steamer 
(or small pot will do if you don't have steamer)
Tongs or Slotted spoon

How To :

1. Add about an inch of water to small pot, add steamer basket. Cover and bring to a boil.
2. Once water is boiling, add frozen edamame into steamer basket, cover and cook for about 4 minutes or until beans are tender. (If you don't have a steamer, you can boil also for about 4 minutes.)
3. While waiting for water and edamame to boil, pull out a skillet and get your sauce ingredients ready.
4. Grate the garlic and ginger and add to skillet.  Add the rest of the sauce ingredients mixing to incorporate everything. Turn heat onto low -just enough to warm up- and give it a quick stir while waiting...
5. When the edamame are ready, scoop beans up while straining water, and drop into the saucy pan mixture and give it a quick stir to cover the beans. Turn the heat up on your skillet slightly and stir for about a minute. You don't want this to bubble or boil. 
6. Remove from heat and add sesame seeds and salt.   
7. Serve.

* An easy way to grate ginger is to keep a nub of ginger in your freezer.  This makes grating much easier! 

Enjoy!