You probably noticed I missed posting a recipe for April.

Guilty!

To make it up to you there are two recipes this month!

Many of you have probably eaten edamame steamed or boiled. The vegetable edamame is soybean harvested at an immature stage, while still green, and includes a range of larger-seed, soybean varieties.

May’s recipes include Tahini and edamame hummus.

Technically, hummus is defined as a paste of pureed chickpeas usually mixed with sesame oil or sesame paste and eaten as a dip or sandwich spread, originating in the Middle East (Merriam-Webster).

While soy and chickpeas are both legumes, soy provides several nutritional advantages. Soy contains more iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium copper, zinc, phosphorus, vitamin A, B1, B2, and K and less sodium than chickpeas. Soy also provides 78% more protein, fewer carbohydrates, and a lower glycemic index!

So, you might want to give soy hummus a try.

Most of the ingredients required to make hummus you probably already have in your kitchen, except for the Tahini and edamame!

Where can I even find edamame?

You can find edamame (harvested while green) in the freezer section of most local grocers. Make sure you buy them already shelled!

Step 1 for making Edamame Hummus: Stir up some Tahini (or buy it in a store).

Two years ago I had never even heard of Tahini, much less made it.

The good news . . . this is a simple recipe.

The better news . . . it is yummy and a fraction of the cost of store-bought Tahini.

Tahini is best known as the “secret sauce” in hummus.

The best tahini is mildly nutty, creamy, and savory—you should want to eat it with a spoon. 

                                                                                 -Alex Delany, Bon Appetit

You can also add tahini to a range of dishes including, salad dressings, noodles, vegetable dishes, dips, and desserts.

Homemade Tahini

Ingredients:

All you need is:

Directions:

NUTRITION PER SERVING: Serving Size 1 tablespoon 

Calories 136 / Protein 3 g / Carbohydrate 5 g / Dietary Fiber 3 g / Total Sugars 0 g / Total Fat 12 g / Saturated Fat 2 g / Cholesterol 0 mg

The nutrition facts source: USDA Supertracker recipe calculator which provides approximate values.

Edamame Hummus

Serve with cut-up vegetables, pita chips, or as a spread on flatbread.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Yields about 3 cups (12 servings)

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)

½ cup tahini

¼ cup of fresh lemon juice

3 small cloves or 2 large cloves of garlic, chopped

1 Tablespoon chopped basil

1 Tablespoon chopped thyme

½ teaspoon salt (kosher if you have it)

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

A dash of ground red pepper (cayenne)

5 Tablespoons ice water

4 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (more for garnish before serving)

Directions:

1. Place edamame in a medium saucepan and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring mixture to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to prevent boiling over. Continue cooking on a low boil for about 25-30 minutes, until the edamame is very soft.

2. After cooking, strain the edamame in a strainer/colander and rinse with hot water. Skim off any skins.

3. Combine lemon juice, garlic, basil, thyme, salt, cumin, and red pepper into a food processor and blend until the mixture is fairly smooth. Let sit in the processor for 10 minutes or longer for the flavors to blend.

4. Add the tahini to the processor and blend until the mixture is creamy. Stop the processor and scrape the sides to blend the mixture together.

5. Gradually add ice water through the feed tube (while the food processor is running) and stop scraping sides.

6. Add the cooked edamame and olive oil and process until the mixture is very smooth.  For fluffy hummus process longer. You can also add additional water.

7. Taste and add seasonings as desired.

8. Scrape hummus into a bowl, swirl the top with a spoon and garnish.

Hummus can be eaten immediately but it is better if refrigerated for an hour or more.

Top with a garnish of your choice! 

Options include: drizzled olive oil, whole soybeans, paprika, ground red pepper, sesame seeds, harissa (or other mild pepper sauce), olive tapenade, green onions, or parsley.

Hummus can be made days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container.  Refrigerate for up to one week.

NUTRITION PER SERVING: Serving Size ¼ cup

Calories 169 / Protein 7.5 g / Carbohydrate 8.1 g / Dietary Fiber 3 g / Total Sugars 0.7 g / Total Fat 13 g / Saturated Fat 1.8 g / Cholesterol 0 mg

The nutrition facts source: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer