Edamame are young soy beans that have been harvested before they have ripened or hardened. You can purchase them shelled, still in the pod, fresh at the farmer’s market or frozen. I have never seen my local grocery stores carry them fresh. I like to keep a package or two in my freezer. They are great additions to chicken salad, quinoa, vegetarian chili, pasta dishes, veggie soups, or miso soup. Or if you are adventurous, you can make an edamame hummus dish, in lieu of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans). Each cup of hulled edamame yields approximately 17 grams of protein!

NOTES

Always try to use organic ingredients when possible. The grocery bill can add up quickly and not all produce are covered in harmful pesticides. As a general rule, I follow the Dirty Dozen, Clean 15 list.

Super greens are leafy greens packed with vitamins, nutrients, and sometimes, iron.  Some of the popular ones are kale (curly or “dinosaur” aka lacinato), beet greens, Swiss chard, collard greens, spinach, turnip greens, radish greens, mustard greens, and watercress.

Ingredients

• cooking oil
• 1 large shallot ~ thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic ~ thinly sliced
• 1 package frozen organic edamame ~ thawed and well drained
• 2 bunchs of any organic “super greens” (see notes section above; I like to use lacinato and Swiss chard) ~ tough stems removed, chopped
• 2-3 small organic carrots ~ skin left on, cut into 1/4 inch discs
• sea salt ~ to taste
• pinch sugar ~ to taste
• fresh black pepper ~ to taste
• cooked red or tri-colored organic quinoa (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large stainless steel pan, heat some oil on medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic and shallots until aromatic and golden-brown. Add carrots and cook until mostly tender (about 5 minutes). Add in edamae and cook for a few minutes to warm them. Add a litte water to the pan if the ingredients start to stick.
2.  Add greens and quickly sauté until the greens are wilted, or tender if you prefer. Season to taste.
3. Serve with red or tri-colored quinoa.

• 1 large shallot ~ peeled, thinly sliced
• 2″ ginger ~ scrubbed clean, skin left on, julienned
• 2 cups dry shiitake mushrooms ~ see prepping instructions below
• 1 medium organic carrot ~ scrubbed clean, skin left on, cut into thick matchsticks
• 2 cups snow peas
• 1/2 cup shiitake liquid ~ strained
• 4 tablespoons evaporated cane sugar
• 2 tablespoons shoyu
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• fresh ground black pepper ~ optional
• chopped cilantro ~ optional

1. Place the dried shiitakes in a large bowl or cooking pot. Cover the shiitakes with filtered water (1:2 ratio; 1 cup dried shiitakes to 2 cups  water) and set it aside on the kitchen counter. Place a lid or plate over the bowl as the mushrooms can get a little “aromatic.” Let the mushrooms soak for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
2. Squeeze all the liquid from the mushrooms. Cut the stems from the mushroom. Cut the shiitakes in half or to desired size for you recipe.
3. Strain the liquid and reserve it in an airtight jar for later use. This liquid should keep for about 5 days, stored in the refrigerator.

1. Stir the shiitake liquid, evaporated cane sugar, and shoyu in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a large stainless steel pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Very lightly brown the shallots and ginger. Add the carrots and cook them halfway.
3. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the prepared shiitakes and sauté them until they are mostly brown. Add more oil as needed to avoid sticking.
4. Pour in the mixture from step #1. Gently stir contents. Bring the liquid to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat and let the liquid to simmer until mostly evaporated.
5. Turn off the heat, remove pan from the stovetop, and add the sesame oil. Stir all the contents. Gently fold in the snow peas.
6. Serve with jasmine rice or vermicelli noodles (my favorite!) and garnish with black pepper and cilantro.

(This is a repost from December 1st, because I somehow had this scheduled to post without a photo, ingredients, or cooking instructions!)

One of the nice things about having a mircogarden is getting to harvest the produce whenever you need. Snow peas and sugar snap peas are super easy to grow, tolerate frosty temperatures, have very few pests, require little maintenance, and the best part is the tendrils and flowers are edible! BONUS! 🙂

Tendrils are the young shoots, stems, leaves, and flowers/flower buds of the plant; they’re essentially the tips/top part of the pea plants. You can see the difference in the “older” leaves as those have a slightly tougher appearance; young leaves are a brighter green.

You can eat the tendrils fresh in a salad or on sandwiches, toss them into your homemade soups at the last minute, sauté them, or even make a veggie stock with them.

INGREDIENTS

• fresh snow pea tendrils, flowers, and baby snow peas~ tendrils and flowers shrink down considerably, so the more you have, the better
• 3 cloves fresh organic garlic ~ peeled, minced
• organic cooking oil
• splash of white wine
• sea salt ~ to taste
• fresh ground black pepper ~ to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Head out to your garden plot and harvest as many fresh tendrils and baby snow peas as you’d like. If you don’t garden, head over to the Farmer’s Market, Whole Foods, or your local Asian grocer. Ask for “pea shoots.” Aim for at least 2 lbs.
2. Heat some cooking oil in a large stainless steel pan or pot. Lightly brown the garlic.
3. Toss in the tendrils and baby peas; add a splash of white wine. Be careful not to burn yourself if the wine reacts with the oil and sputters!
4. Very quickly sauté the tendrils and peas as they wilt quickly. I find that a pair of stainless steel tongs are the best tool to use.
5. Remove the pan from the stove and season with sea salt and black pepper.
6. Serve hot. Enjoy!

One of my favorite edible flowers is the garlic chive blossom and its long blue-green stem. Garlic chives are flowering plants that belong to the onion family (Allium genus) with flowers in a beautiful assortment of colors: purple, white, pink, and even yellow. You can eat them as buds or when they open up to “pin cushions.” The genus also comprise of green onions (aka scallions), garlic, onions (i.e., white, yellow, and red/purple), shallots, and leeks. Alliums typically produce buds and bloom during spring and fall, depending on the region.

With spring right around the corner, you can expect to see these in people’s gardens or growing wild in open fields and even your own backyard. Not only are they beautiful and add a fresh touch to dishes, they taste delicious!

TIP: You can find these in your local Asian market. Whole Foods may carry them as a specialty item in the produce section. They are sold in bundles, sealed in clear plastic wrap because of the pungent odor they emit. If it’s a little warm where you are, you will want to leave these in a cooler while you run your other errands, otherwise you will come out to a fairly smelly car. 🙂

INGREDIENTS

• Cooking oil
• 5 garlic cloves ~ peeled and smashed
• 1 bunch of garlic chives ~ washed, woody ends discarded, stems cut into 1.5-2 inches
• Snow peas ~ washed, “side strings” removed
• Cremini mushrooms ~ lightly rinsed, sliced
• Soy sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the cooking oil in a wok or stainless steel pan.
2. Sauté the garlic until lightly brown and aromatic
3. Add chive flowers, sugar snap peas, and cremini. Sauté until they are lightly or half-cooked.
4. Add desired amount of soy sauce and toss evenly.
5. Serve with coconut brown rice or noodles. ENJOY!