Miso Edamame Dip

I cleaned out my freezer yesterday. I'm definitely not one of those people that could survive the apocalypse based on the contents of their pantry and frozen goods. First of all, I have very limited storage space in my kitchen and second of all, a cluttered fridge sends me into a panic attack.

To my surprise, I found a bag of edamame lodged in the back of my freezer hidden behind the vodka (I tend to keep the more important things where I can see them) and was in the mood for something quick. I really wanted to eat some baguette and was looking for something delicious to smear all over it instead of dipping it in copious amounts of olive oil. My first instinct was to make edamame hummus, but since I gave up all nuts and seeds due to an allergy, a tahini based dip was out.

I pulled out whatever I could find in my fridge that wouldn't make this dip taste like crap.

Edamame.
Miso.
Lemon.
Scallion.
Parsley.
Garlic.

Olive oil, salt and pepper.

Lots of yums.

FYI: Fresh herbs and garlic and lemon always make dips taste delicious.

Short version:
Throw everything (except the oil) in a food processor. Process until incorporated then stream in the oil to make it nice and creamy.

....and the extended version:

Miso Edamame Dip


1 c. shelled edamame
3 scallions, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. parsley, chopped
1/2 T. chickpea miso (or any other light miso)
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
2 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil


Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the edamame. Bring to a boil and cook for three minutes. Drain and place in a bowl of ice water for five minutes. Drain well and transfer to a food processor. Add the scallion, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, miso, salt and pepper. Process until well incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed. With the processor running, stream in the olive oil until the mixture is creamy. Adjust seasonings, if needed.

Serve with some crusty baguette, pita chips or crudites. Party food!

Edamame Hummus

Every so often I get a fierce craving for hummus.  Sure, I could shell out $5 for some sabra hummus (which, by the way is like creamy chicpea crack), but I'm usually way too lazy to go the store and it's waaaaay cheaper to make at home.  Traditionally, hummus is made with garbanzo beans, but as my luck would have it, there were none in the house.  Enter the edamame bean. 

Edamame, which translates to "twig bean" are young green soybeans cropped with it's twig (eda="twig" + mame=bean). They are high in protein and fiber, low in fat and make a killer hummus!

Edamame Hummus (makes 1 c.)

1 c. frozen shelled edamame
1 1/2 T. tahini
1 lemon, juiced
1-2 cloves chopped garlic
2 T. chopped parsley
1 T. chopped chives or scallions
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. cracked black pepper
2 T. olive oil

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil.  Add edamame, bring to a boil and cook for three minutes.  Drain and "shock" in a bowl of ice water (this helps the edamame retain it's bright color and cools them quickly).  Once your beans have cooled (this only takes a couple minutes), drain again and place in a food processor with the tahini, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper.  With the motor running stream in the olive oil.  Scrape down the sides and pulse a couple more times.  I like my hummus a little chunky.  If you like a creamier dip give it a whirl for another 15 seconds.  Add the parsley and chives and pulse a couple times to incorporate. 

This dip is super tasty with raw veggies, or can be used as a sandwich spread.  I took the lazy route and tore open a bag of multigrain pita chips.
Craving. Satisfied.