Meatless Monday: The Little Green Giants

Before soybeans mature and take on a buttery-yellow hue, they are housed in bright green pods. Most of us know baby soybeans as edamame or those fuzzy bean pods served at Japanese restaurants.

These beans are small in size but definitely pack a BIG nutritional punch! In each 1/2 cup, there are 127 calories, a whopping 11 grams of protein, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, and 4 grams of fiber. That is about twice the amount of protein in a large egg minus the saturated fat and cholesterol! 

Edamame make a wonderful snack but an even more delicious side dish. An edamame mash is a great alternative to mashed potatoes. It's also a fun side dish to serve to little kids because of the bright green color. Try this simple, no fuss recipe using these little green giants from Parents magazine on this Meatless Monday!

Edamame Mash
Ingredients:
1 lb. frozen shelled edamame beans, thawed
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

[-] Boil edamame for 5 minutes to soften
[-] Drain beans, reserve about 1/3 cup of cooking water
[-] Place edamame, lemon, oil, salt, soy sauce, and pepper in a food processor.
[-] Puree, slowly adding the reserved liquid, until smooth

Photo from foodnetwork.com