You’ll find them in Japanese and Asian restaurants where they are usually served salted and at room temperature. Typically, you eat the beans inside and discard the pods. Check your grocery or specialty foods store – they can sometimes be found in the frozen foods aisle.

In Chinese, young soybeans in the pod are known as maodoujia which literally translates as “hairy bean pod.” No matter what you call them, they are a specific species of soybean grown for early harvesting and are different than soybean crops grown specifically for their mature beans.

Cook them by steaming or boiling for 3 to 5 minutes. Don’t overcook – you don’t want a bunch of mush.

We are used to seeing edamame served salted at Japanese restaurants but edamame without salt is equally delicious.

Edamame calories are high in protein, fiber and potassium. According to http://www.soygrowers.com, soy beans are the world’s foremost provider of protein and oil.

Edamame in the Shell © Seapoint Farms

10. “Healthy” is the first word that should come to mind with edamame – they are a low-fat, low-cholesterol, and high-protein food.  What more can you ask for: easy preparation, super taste and high nutrition value?
9. Look for bags of frozen edamame in your local specialty food or health food store.
8. Edamame are popular in Japan and China but are catching on in the US – you will find them served as appetizers in Japanese and Chinese restaurants.
7. Worried about edamame calories?  You shouldn’t be.  There are only 125 calories per 100 grams.
6. Farmers in Kentucky and other states are now growing edamame.  The USDA has an interesting web page discussing US growing of edamame.
5. US products include those by Woodstock Farms, Trader Joe’s and Seapoint Farms.  You can buy Seapoint Farms products online from Amazon.
4. Grow your own edamame!  Buy seeds from Wannamaker Farms or other vendors online (See the “Grow Your Own” section below).  You can grow edamame just about anywhere in the US.
3. Edamame nutrion equals soy foods nutrition since they are made from the same thing.  There is a great facts sheet at soyfoods.org which discusses all aspects of soy-related nutrition issues.
2. Sprinkle the edamame with lemon juice after cooking or add soy sauce/tamari to the water when cooking to subtly enhance their flavor.
1. Edamame, maodoujia, vegetable soybeans, beer beans, sweet beans,  garden soybeans, green soybeans, immature soybeans, edible soybeans – they are all the same thing.

Edamame: 60 Tempting Recipes Featuring America’s Hottest New Vegetable – “These tasty beans are highlighted in 60 mouthwatering recipes. Whet your taste buds with Grilled Tomatoes with Edamame and Goat Cheese, Flank Steak with Jeweled Salsa, Balsamic Glazed Winter Vegetables, or Warm Scallop and Edamame Salad. Not just delicious, these recipes are packed with nutrients. But health benefits are just a bonus because the recipes are ones that any chef would be proud to serve his diners. No bland health food here but instead rich appetizers like guacamole and creamy soups such as Thai Seafood Bisque. Although the market has many cookbooks, this is the first to focus completely on Edamame-America’s Hottest New Vegetable.”

Soy of Cooking: Easy-to-Make Vegetarian, Low-Fat, Fat-Free, and Antioxidant-Rich Gourmet Recipes – “Soy of Cooking Now, you can create elegant meals that are as healthy as they are delicious. Soy of Cooking is a gourmet guide to preparing savory meatless dishes that incorporate nutrient-rich soyfoods into your diet—high in antioxidants and phytochemicals, as well as fiber and vitamins. With more than 170 enticing recipes, this innovative cookbook shows how to combine creative techniques and easy-to-find soyfoods to make healthy starters, main dishes, desserts, and more with tempting, artful presentations. Soy of Cooking defines 30 new and traditional soyfoods, most of which can be found in supermarkets and health food stores around the country. It also includes a guide to useful cooking techniques, tips on using spices,and soyfood exchange information.”

A few varieties include: “Envy”, “Besweet 2020″, “Beer Friend”, “Butterbaby”, “Butterbeans”, “Early Hakucho”, “Green Pearls”, “Misono Green”, “Shironomai”, “Tohya”  Seed companies that carry Edamame:  vermontbean.com, johnnyseeds.com, and Wannamaker Farms. Here are some direct links to buy seeds on Amazon.com: Edamame Green Soybean Seeds 50 Seeds at Amazon and Soybeans Edamame Black Seeds 7 Grams at Amazon

Soybean Plants © ARS/USDA

Growing your own healthy low-calorie edamame is easy.  Here is one person’s discussion of growing soy bean plants in flower pots on their deck.  Of interesting note in this blog post: soybeans have small root systems and thus you can plant them close together – in 2 inch spacings.  They put six plants in a large flower pot – lots of beautiful foliage and lots of edamame pods!

If you often find yourself in coveralls driving a tractor, then you will find the USDA page on growing edamame as a row crop more informative.

Finally, you will find this article at the National Garden Bureau web site to be most informative: history, seed varieties, growing and harvesting are all covered.

Fresh Food Fast

I like Fresh Food Fastbecause in addition to the fantastic recipes it is laid out in a really useful manner. After the introduction, tips for using the book, pantry instructions, equipment and pressure cooker sections the recipes are divided seasonally. The book is almost 300-pages long and you can buy it for about 25 bucks.

Each season has 12 complete meals and there is a dessert section at the back of each season section. At the beginning of each meal there is a Market List that includes fresh produce, dairy, pantry ingredients. Then you have the list of equipment needed, the game plan to create the meal and speed tips.

There are informative sidebars scattered through out the book as well and the pictures are delicious. This cookbook is the trifecta of cooking… it saves you time, money and calories.

I found this Amazon Review summed up the power of the book nicely:

“This book has changed my life- seriously! My kids and husband are now convinced that I am a good cook, and we can all sit down to a delicious vegetarian dinner every night of the week! The recipes are easy to prepare, and once you start using them, you will have most of what you need on hand to create almost anything in the book for that season! It’s really terrific; I can’t recommend it highly enough!!”

Below is my current favorite recipe from the winter section of  Fresh Food Fast. This salad is served with Provençal Garlic and Herb Broth. I asked Tina what our meal had cost. She did a quick calculation and said the meal cost about 8 dollars for 4 people. Not bad.

Warm White Bean Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Smoked Mozzarella

This is a true winter salad – warm and savory. The smoked mozzarella really adds another layer of flavor, but you can use regular mozzarella if you like. If your tomatoes are very dry, soak them in very hot water to cover until supple. Yield: 4 servings
½ cup firmly packed sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup diced red onion (about 1 medium)
½ teaspoon course sea salt or kosher salt, plus additional to taste
1 cup thinly sliced peeled carrots (bout 2 medium)
1 cup thinly sliced celery stalks
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (15-ounce) can while beans, drained
4 cups arugula leaves, for serving
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

1. In a large sauté pan over high heat, combine the oil, onion and ½ teaspoon of salt and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary and red chili flakes and sauté for 1 more minute. Add ¼ cup water and cover the pan. Cook over high heat until the vegetables are just crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
2. Uncover the pan and turn off the heat. Stir in beans, tomatoes, mozzarella, and vinegar and season with salt.
3. Toss the bean with the arugula and served garnished with chopped parsley.

Other recipes include: Sesame Noodles with Tofu Steaks and Baby Asian Greens – Spicy Corn Frittata with Tomatoes and Scallions – Pan-Seared Summer Squash with Garlic and Mint – Radish, Orange and Avacado Salad and Leek and Turnip Soup with Potatoes and Chard.

Fresh Food Fastis also going to help me plan my garden. The veggies that are a little pricey in my neck of the woods are the ones I am going to grow in my garden and I will buy the rest from the farmers market or the store. Fresh Food Fast: Delicious, Seasonal Vegetarian Meals in Under an Hourby: Peter Berley and Melissa Clark

With obesity rates soaring, food costs climbing, and family food budgets shrinking, this easy-to-use guide is hitting stores just in time to put shoppers back in control of their health, their wallets, and their waistlines. Available nationwide in stores today, this groundbreaking book reveals hundreds of easy food swaps that can save readers thousands of unwanted calories – without dieting!

What many Americans don’t know is that food marketers have altered the reality of the weekly trip to the supermarket, making it impossible for shoppers to truly see where the battle lines fall in the fight against fat. The food industry spends $30 billion a year on advertising–nearly half of it pitching convenience foods, candy, soda and dessert. Now more than ever, Americans need help deciphering misleading food labels and dubious health claims, as the food we consume today is considerably different from the food that we ate 20 or 30 years ago. And the reasons are as simple as they are sneaky:

– We’ve added extra calories to traditional foods. Today, high-fructose corn syrup is in an unbelievable array of foods, from breakfast cereals to bread, from ketchup to iced tea.
– We’ve been trained to supersize it. The problem is the way we look at food–we should be looking at cutting down calories, not adding them.
– Our fruits and vegetables aren’t as healthy as they once were. Six out of 13 nutrients showed major declines between 1950 and 1999: protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and Vitamin C.
– We’re drinking more calories than ever. We consume 450 calories a day from beverage, nearly twice as many as 30 years ago, which amount to an extra 23 pounds a year!
– We don’t know what’s in our food. There are now more than 3,000 ingredients on the FDA’s list of “safe food” additives, and any one of them could end up on your plate.

All of these disturbing trends in our food supply are a lot to chew on–but chew on them we do, often because we feel we have no choice. But now you can make the right choices with EAT THIS, NOT THAT! SUPERMARKET SURVIVAL GUIDE.

Packed with smart shopping strategies and savvy food-buying tips, readers will also learn to:

– Pick Produce: From avocados to zucchini, know when produce is ripe, when it’s in season, what nutrients it contains, and how to store it.
– Make Sense of Meat: Understand the healthiest protein options in the store and decode USDA labeling and grades.
– Understand Organic: When it comes to pesticide contamination, not all fruits and vegetables are created equal. Learn when to pay extra for the organic label.
– Make Smart Swaps: By choosing Breyer’s Mint Chocolate Chip over Haagen-Dazs Mint Chip, you’ll save nearly 7 pounds this year! Learn hundreds of other simple changes to cut calories fast.
– Make Budget-Friendly Food Plans: Find out the best day of the week to shop, then maximize a week’s worth of groceries with food plans and healthy, great-tasting recipes.

Investigative and compelling, EAT THIS NOT THAT! SUPERMARKET SURVIVAL GUIDE will show readers how to avoid nutritional pitfalls lurking in every aisle while helping them lose weight, save cash, and make the right food choices every time.

DAVID ZINCZENKO, SVP/Editor-in-Chief of Men’s Health magazine, is the author of New York Times bestsellers The Abs Diet and The Abs Diet for Women. Once an overweight child, Zinczenko has become one of the nation’s leading experts on health and fitness. He is a regular contributor to the Today show and has appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America, Primetime Live, 20/20, The Rachael Ray Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

MATT GOULDING is the food and nutrition editor of Men’s Health. He has cooked and eaten his way around the world, touching down in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he divides most of his time between keyboard and stovetop.

(ARA) – With the rising cost of groceries, families are trying to make their hard-earned dollars go farther. Buying staples — as opposed to manufactured mixes — and using them in several different recipes is one way to reduce costs and yet provide a healthy meal for the entire family.

Of all the products on supermarket shelves, one of the most versatile is rice, a complex carbohydrate that is free of sodium, cholesterol and trans fat. It is also gluten-free, non-allergenic and easy to digest. Purchasing plain rice allows consumers to use the versatile grain in multiple recipes and is more cost-effective per serving. For example, a jar of RiceSelect’s Texmati rice is 30 cents per serving whereas seasoned mixes can range from 60 cents to $1.20 per serving.

“One great time — and money-saving tip — is to cook all of your rice for the week at once and store the leftovers in the refrigerator,” says Deborah Locke, product manager for RiceSelect. “The next time you are preparing a pilaf, casserole or rice salad, you are halfway there.”

Numerous studies have shown that people who eat whole grains, such as brown rice, as part of a healthy diet have a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Eating whole grains may help regulate blood glucose levels in those with diabetes and studies also show people who consume more whole grains are better able to maintain a healthy weight. Plus, whole grains, like Texmati brown rice and RiceSelect’s Royal Blends, make a great compliment to other healthy foods like vegetables and lean protein.

Rice tastes great as well, which makes it perfect for the whole family to enjoy. But when you head to the grocery store, don’t just pick up any generic brand. Seek out a brand that you know was grown close to home.

Buying locally-grown food is becoming more and more important for consumers who are concerned about minimizing their carbon footprints. RiceSelect, for example, grows and packages all of its products here in the United States.  And regardless of what you may have heard, there is currently an abundance of U.S. grown rice.

More than 100 recipes for the family to enjoy are available at www.riceselect.com. The recipes range from salads and side dishes to entrees and desserts. Here are a few of them:

* Brown Rice Black Bean Burrito

Yield: Makes six servings

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

3 cups cooked Texmati Brown Rice

1 15- or 16-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 11-oz. can corn, drained

6 8-inch flour tortillas

3/4 cup or 6 oz. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/4 cup prepared salsa

Directions:

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until onion is tender. Add rice, beans and corn. Cook, stirring 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is thoroughly heated. Remove from the heat.

Spoon 1/2 cup of the rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top each with 2 Tbsp. cheese, 1 Tbsp. green onion and 1 Tbsp. yogurt. Roll the tortilla up and top with 1 Tbsp. salsa.

To save time, when cooking the rice for the burritos, double the recipe on the label and use the leftover rice in another dish, like Cremini Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Rice Soup, later in the week.

* Cremini Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Rice Soup

Yield: Makes eight to 12 servings

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 large sweet mild onion, finely chopped

3 cups cooked Texmati Brown Rice, divided

1 (6 1/2-oz.) container Garlic and Herbs Spreadable Cheese

2 (14-oz.) cans roasted garlic seasoned chicken broth, divided

2 cups water, additional if desired

8 slices pre-cooked ready-to-serve smoked bacon

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in a large non-stick stockpot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook about 10 minutes, stirring periodically. Let the mixture cool slightly. In a food processor or blender, combine mushroom mixture, 1-1/2 cups rice, cheese and 1 cup broth. Pulse mixture until mushrooms are finely chopped but not pureed and mixture is thoroughly combined. Return mixture to stockpot; stir in remaining rice, broth and water. Bring to a boil; cook uncovered over medium heat 5 minutes. Heat bacon slices between paper towels in microwave according to package directions. Chop bacon and set aside. Add salt and pepper to soup to taste. To serve, ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle with bacon.

Courtesy of ARAcontent