In case you’re not familiar with the term edamame, it’s whole soy bean. I love growing this plant, and we just harvested our crop this weekend. Edamame is really easy to grow! It grows like a bean plant, and gets harvested all at once (as in the picture of above of my happy harvester). If you’re not lucky enough to find fresh grown edamame, make sure to buy only certified organic edamame that’s non-GMO. Soy is one of the most highly genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the world. Support farmers who grow organically, and not Monsanto, the company that is the largest producer of GMO soy. 
I had this at a friend’s house and absolutely loved it! It was so light and refreshing. This dish is perfect any time of year, since it’s main components can be taken from the freezer. Really, it’d be perfect for any happy gathering! The bright colors help liven up any table. What’s even better is that it takes all of 15 minutes to make.
What are the health benefits of soy? Soy has become controversial due to it’s highly processed nature in today’s society. Soybean is one of the most genetically modified foods on the planet, and has become used as a filler for many processed foods, leading it to become an allergen for many. True soy, in its pure, unaltered forms, such as edamame, tofu, tempeh (fermented), and miso (fermented) are the least processed forms of soy, and therefore contain the highest amount of nutritional isoflavones. Eating organically grown sources, allows you to avoid GMO’s and support small scale farmers. Soy is packed with protein and fiber, and contains all of the essential amino acids. People who eat whole food soy, have been found to have lower incidences of cancers, as well as reoccurrence of cancer (video on cancer rates and soy). Women who consume soy have shown delayed puberty (yes, this is a good thing), and earlier menopause (again a good thing), as well as decreased menopausal symptoms (links to study on soy). Additional benefits in this recipe-peppers pack in the Vitamin C (3x’s that of an orange), and corn adds additional fiber to the mix. There is no added oil to this recipe, and trust me, you won’t miss it at all! The freshness of the herbs provides so much flavor! So make this when the garden (or your friend’s garden) is still producing fresh herbs! You can make this with dried herbs, but it won’t have the same burst of color and flavor.
Makes a large bowl for a holiday crowd; enough for 16-20 servings
Ingredients:
- 6 cups of edamame
- 4 cups of corn kernels, fresh is best, but frozen is fine (just defrost)
- 2 cups of medium diced peppers-we used 1 red and 1 orange
- 1 cup of chopped scallions
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 3 tbsp fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried)
Summer Herb Dressing:
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 2 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried dill
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp of sweetener of choice-maple syrup, date paste :if desired, you can omit to have no added sugars
- pinch sea salt (or to taste), about 1/2 tsp
- freshly ground pepper or to taste
- water to thin if desired (we didn’t)
Instructions:
- Mix dressing ingredients together in a blender
- Blanch edamame in boil water until they turn bright green and soften slightly. Drain.
- If using frozen corn, defrost.Toss remaining ingredients into a bowl and add as much dressing as you feel you need.
- Season to taste and serve as a salad topper or as a side dish. This would also be great on top of a baked sweet potato! In the picture below, I show it with my home-grown sprouts, Red Cabbage Slaw, and Buckwheat Tabbouleh.
Edamame Salad Bowl With Sprouts, Slaw, and Buckwheat Tabbouleh
Nutritional Benefits:
- High in plant-based protein, 10 g: great for healing and repairing tissues
- High in fiber almost 6.5 g: great for lowering blood sugar & blood pressure, digestive health, and increases satiety
- Parsley and peppers are both high in Vitamin C, 59%/serving; great for boosting immunity and detoxifying the body, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
- Good source of potassium-212 mg/serving, great for kidney and nervous system function, regulated blood pressure/heart rate
- Good source of Vitamin A: 35%, strengthens bones, teeth, eyes, and skin health; antioxidant and anti-inflammatory
- Gluten Free and Plant-based-decreases inflammation in the body
- 6 cups of edamame
- 4 cups of corn kernels, fresh is best, but frozen is fine (just defrost)
- 2 cups of medium diced peppers-we used 1 red and 1 orange
- 1 cup of chopped scallions
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 3 tbsp fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried)
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup fresh basil
- 2 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried dill
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp of sweetener of choice-maple syrup,date paste-if desired, you can omit to have no added sugars
- pinch sea salt (or to taste), about ½ tsp
- freshly ground pepper or to taste
- water to thin if desired (we didn't)
- Mix dressing ingredients together in a blender, taste to season.
- Blanch edamame in boil water until they turn bright green and soften slightly. Drain.
- If using frozen corn, defrost.Toss remaining ingredients into a bowl and add as much dressing as you feel you need.
- Season to taste and serve as a salad topper or as a side dish. This would also be great on top of a baked sweet potato! In the picture below, I show it with my home-grown sprouts, Red Cabbage Slaw, and Buckwheat Tabbouleh
That’s so cool that you grew your own edamame! For some reason I had this mental image of it growing in tropical climates, but I have no idea where that notion came from! Was it easy to grow?
Edamame is very easy to grow! If you have grown bush beans, you can grow edamame. One warning, voles love them, so plant in raised beds if possible! Try it next summer!