Edamame with Hawaiian Sea Salt

This snack is green, super tasty, and so good for you! Edamame or green soybeans have numerous health benefits, providing protein, fiber, antioxidants, and good cholesterol. I was pleasantly surprised to read in the April 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times that soybeans have been shown to reduce inflammation in asthma patients. I am not a doctor, but I know it is always preferable to be healthy through food rather than medicine. If a dietary adjustment is enough to soothe your symptoms without medication, you will be much happier and healthier for it. With a simple search online, you will find endless other benefits of eating soybeans. As a vegetarian, I have always relied on edamame as a source of healthy protein.

Hawaiian sea salt made them a touch more beautiful and interesting to eat, with a punch of crunch and flavor. It even gives a mild tingling sensation. The salt gets its beautiful red-orange color from a clay called Alaea, and is one of the most mineral-rich sea salts in the world. It is slightly more expensive than a regular sea salt because of the hard-to-find lava rock clay, but you can use less than you would otherwise because it is so strong. You can also use it on salads, try rolling fresh mozzarella balls in it, or be creative with any dish where you want to feature the salt.

I used:
1 cup frozen edamame pods
1 pinch Hawaiian Sea Salt
water to blanch

My method:
1. Boil water in a medium pot.
2. Add the frozen edamame and let them boil for 3 minutes. No more, or they will be over cooked!
3. Put the edamame pods in ice cold water for 1-2 minutes. This will stop them from cooking and preserve their beautiful green color.
4. Drain the water well, sprinkle them with salt, and serve.

If you haven't eaten edamame before: you pinch the beans out of either end of the pod with your mouth, placing the pod in your mouth so you get the salt, too. The beans may be nutty and they are perfect with the salt; you do not eat the pods :)

Have extra edamame, or want to make a side dish instead of a snack? See also this healthy edamame salad recipe.

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[ READER COMMENTS ]

1. 1

   Christine Harvey said:

   I've been eating edamame almost daily for about one and a half months. I've always had problems keeping my skin clear - but finally it's cleared up, and I'm not on any medications (the edamame is the only new thing that has been introduced).

   I read that edamame has plant estrogen in it - I wonder if anybody has done any studies on this particular health benefit.

   Posted at 10:46 AM, on March 25 2008

1. 2

   Mohini said:

   Wow! That is excellent! I'll have to do some research on the plant estrogen side of things, and I'll update the post if I see anything significant. Thanks for the info Christine!

   Posted at 09:19 PM, on March 25 2008

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