Edamame Hummus

I always like to have a bag of edamame in the freezer as a backup snack. On more than one occasion, I’ve used it to quickly throw together some edamame hummus. Since it’s March, and St. Patrick’s day is coming up next weekend (where is time going? Wasn’t it just the new year?), even though I’m not Irish I thought I’d throw in with something green!

Ingredients (yields 2 1/2 cups):

• 1 one pound bag of frozen shelled edamame
• 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 6 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1/2 cup tahini (stir well before measuring). Tahini is a sesame paste so an alternate is to use sesame oil, but I have never tried this so you’ll have to try it to taste. I have a jar of it and it lasts months- just like peanut butter. Make sure you stir it up before measuring it out!
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup or so of water
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2-1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, optional
• To garnish: smoked paprika, freshly ground black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, sesame seeds, reserved edamame… your choice!

Directions:

1. Simmer the beans in salted water for 4 to 5 minutes until it is heated through, or microwave, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain before using. If you’d like, set aside a handful of the beans for garnish.
2. In a food processor, puree the edamame, garlic, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of water, and tahini. Process until smooth. Add in a little more water to thin as needed based on what texture you’d like- I am approximating that I used about 1/3 cup.
   
3. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and mix until combined. Add in the salt, coriander, parsley, and the optional cumin and cayenne pepper to taste and mix until incorporated.
4. Transfer to a small bowl, and drizzle in the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and garnish as desired.
   

You can serve this immediately with pita, crackers, bread, or vegetables of your choice. Or, maybe eat it with a spoon, like I did, let’s cut out the middle man here. I know I seem all fancy with the various meals I’ve been having lately, but edamame hummus is sooo satisfying and simple. You can also choose to cover and refrigerate overnight and eat this up to 1 day later if you’d like. Honestly, this never lasts longer than 24 hours in my house.