Quinoa Edamame Salad

I am having a love-affair with Edamame.

I just can’t get enough.

Please don’t tell my husband.

Well, he may already know. Our freezer is full of Edamame.

Lately, I’ve been eating these delicious green soybeans for lunch (just plain, in a bowl) and tossing them in almost everything for dinners! My favorite way to eat them is this Quinoa Edamame Salad. My second favorite is to salt them and sauté them in a little bit of olive oil. There are so many fabulous options!

At my Master Food Preservers graduation, we had a potluck dinner to celebrate our achievements. I thought this Quinoa Edamame salad would be perfect! It feeds a large group, but you can easily cut it in half to share with your family. The salad was a hit and I may have discreetly helped myself to seconds (Let’s be honest, it was thirds.)

Start with a huge helping of your favorite quinoa. I used regular quinoa, but red or black would look fabulous! There really isn’t any flavor difference, just be sure to rinse the quinoa well before cooking it. Quinoa has a soapy taste to it if you don’t rinse it until the water runs clean. It may take a bit of time, but it’s worth it! The nutty flavor of quinoa is great in this salad (or as the base for any other dish) Next add some shredded carrots, finely diced bell peppers, thinly sliced green onions, steamed Edamame and top it off with an Asian inspired dressing and chopped peanuts for an extra crunch!

While I love the ingredients (ooooohhhh those soybeans!) it’s really the dressing that makes this salad amazing. A combination of rice wine vinegar, a splash of toasted sesame oil, cilantro, lime, honey, garlic and ginger gives a nice Asian twist to the salad.

I’m pretty sure this will be a summer favorite in our house because it’s very light and refreshing. On a side note, if you let the salad sit overnight, it gets even better!

Instructions

• Bring water and quinoa to boil in a small saucepan.
• Simmer gently for 10-12 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed and quinoa has a thin white circle around each grain.
• While the quinoa is simmering, in a small bowl, whisk together the wine vinegar, sesame oil, cilantro, lime juice and zest, honey, salt, garlic and ginger.
• Let the dressing sit while you chop and shred the veggies.
• In a large bowl, toss the cooled, steamed edamame with the peppers and green onions.
• Once the quinoa is done, rinse immediately in cold water.
• Drain the quinoa well and add to the bowl with the vegetables.
• Cover the salad with the dressing and toss well to combine.
• Garnish with the chopped peanuts.
• Enjoy!
• Warning, this salad makes a LOT!

Enjoy friends!