Edamame is a young soy bean with its bright green color. It is a complete protein, meaning that it contains all nine essential amino acids that your body cannot make on its own and must get from food. Animal proteins are usually complete proteins but not plant proteins (beans, nuts, etc.)…which is why soy is so special!

Here’s a quick easy recipe modified from The Meaning of Pie blog that is refreshing yet deliciously satisfying.

Edamame Salad

• 1 cup frozen edamame, lightly cooked according to package directions
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries (or dried cherries)
• ½ cup sweet corn kernels
• 1 cup carrots, julienned
• ⅓ cup bell peppers, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped red onions, rinsed with cold water*

Dressing

• 4 T olive oil
• 2 T rice vinegar (the kind used for sushi; note the original recipe uses rice wine vinegar but from my research these are the same)
• 2 t brown sugar or honey

Directions

1. Boil the edamame according to package directions. Dunk them in cold water to cool the beans and stop the cooking. In a bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients.
2. Measure the dressing ingredients into a small jar that has a lid. Put the lid on the jar and shake it until the dressing ingredients are combined. Pour most of the dressing on the salad and toss the salad. Taste the salad and add the remaining dressing, if desired.

*Rinsing the raw red onions or placing them in a bowl of icy water before chopping them may help to remove any strong odors.

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