Edamame Love

From Edemame and Others

Please tell me that you have tried Edamame (soy beans.) You would never believe that something so healthy looking can taste so good. This is how good...I have preferred it to popcorn. Yes, me, the popcorn addict.

From Edemame and Others

What does it taste like? Hmm...its savory, nutty and satisfies my need for carbs. AWESOME. So get this, until recently we have only had edamame in restaurants but I was perusing Costco one fine Saturday and sampled me some microwavable edamame. It was as good as any I've ever had but I was heart broken...I knew it would cost a fortune and I could not justify a edamame purchase. WRONG. Went back to it's freezer section to pine over it and it was $6 for a HUGE bag. It gets better, within the bag the edamame is packaged in serving sized bags and there is at least 30 bags.

From Edemame and Others

Just grab a bag, steam in the microwave for 3 minutes, sprinkle on some salt and enjoy. Wondering how you eat them? I think there are different preferences but I like squeezing the beans out with my mouth...that way you get some salt with it. This has become my new favorite late night snack but I can't wait to use them in stir-fry this week!

This blog was inspired by Kellen's impromptu edamame photo shoot.

**** The Fine print. It is actually really good for you...I hope this doesn't scare you off!

Edamame is a complete protein containing all the eseential Amino Acids. Great source of protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, and isoflavones (found only in Soy). It is an excellent food for weight loss as well. Just 1/2 cup of them a day really punches up the fiber, protein and vitamin/mineral content of your diet.

Here's what you'll find in a half-cup serving of shelled edamame or 1 1/8 cup edamame in the pods:

120 calories
9 grams fiber
2.5 grams fat
1.5 grams polyunsaturated fat (0.3 grams plant omega-3 fatty acids)
0.5 gram monounsaturated fat
11 grams protein
13 grams carbohydrate
15 mg sodium
10% of the Daily Value for vitamin C
10% Daily Value for iron
8% Daily Value for vitamin A
4% Daily Value for calcium

As you can see, that little serving of edamame gives you a bunch of fiber: 9 grams, about the same amount you'll find in 4 slices of whole-wheat bread or 4 cups of steamed zucchini. It has almost as much protein as it does carbohydrate. It contains around 10% of the Daily Value for two key antioxidants; vitamins C and A. And for a plant food, it's quite high in iron; it has about as much as a 4-ounce roasted chicken breast. www.medicinenet.com