I love pesto. When I was making dinner last night which was a roasted turkey with carrots and potatoes, I was in the mood for some pesto. Unfortunately I didn't have any basil. So I looked around to see what I had that maybe I could substitute for the basil.
I looked in my freezer and saw a bag of shelled Edamame. So I thought, "hmmm" would that work? I decided what the heck, why not try. So I set the Edamame out for a bit to defrost a little and then decided to whip up a batch. To my surprise it tasted fantastic and the color was such a beautiful bright lime green. Plus with the added Edamame it provides lots of nutrition.
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.
Edamame alone makes a delicious soy snack besides providing your body with so many health benefits.
Eat it alone or try my version of Edamame Pesto. To add even more freshness to this already delicious pesto add some fresh chopped tomatoes on top.
Edamame Pesto
Makes 2 1/2 cups
1 (10 oz) package shelled Edamame, defrosted
3 tablespoon Pine Nuts
1 clove Garlic
pinch of Sea Salt
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 1/4 cup extra-virgin Olive Oil
In a food processor, place Edamame, pine nuts, garlic and sea salt and process to a paste. Add cheese and drizzle in the olive oil. Store in an air tight jar. Will keep for about a week.
Enjoy!
