Edamame Salad

Gluten and dairy free, vegetarian,

Serves 6

This recipe is adapted from a recipe by another nutritionist.

I at first was unsure of how this dressing blend would taste but I really loved the combination of cinnamon and cumin in it.

This salad is perfect for hot summer nights when you don’t want to cook, to take to work or school for a refreshing lunch and makes a great vegetarian meal.

It is a complete meal due to the protein from the edamame, the starches/carbs from the jicama and other vegetables and healthy fats in the dressing.  It is also a nutrient dense recipe 

You don’t need to be a vegetarian to enjoy a vegetarian meal!

This is a also a great dish for those who consume a lot of processed foods and are used to sweeter tasting dishes.  If you already eat a healthy diet, you can reduce the sugar in this recipe by reducing or eliminating the dried apricots.  The original recipe called for sweet rice vinegar  (sweet rice vinegar does have added sugar) and I opted for just rice vinegar.

Salad Ingredients

  • 1- pound frozen edamame, shelled and cooked according to package directions
  • 1 bell pepper (any color) chopped, organic
  • ½ chopped cucumber (leave the skin on if organic)
  • 1/3 cup peeled jicama chopped
  • 1/3 cup shredded carrots (make it easy and buy a bag of organic shredded carrots)
  • ¼ cup red onion diced
  • ¼ c. dried apricots, chopped (make sure no added sugar to the dried apricots-they are sweet enough on their own)

Dressing Ingredients

  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 T. Dijon mustard
  • 3 T. EVOO
  • 4 T. rice vinegar
  • s/p to taste

Directions

  1. place all salad ingredients into a bowl
  2. mix the dressing ingredients together in a mason jar with a lid. Shake it all to blend. Pour over the salad, toss to coat. Allow to sit for 15 minutes for flavors to blend.

Benefits of this Recipe

Edamame: One half a cup will provide you with 14 grams of protein, 12 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of fiber. Edamame is good protein source for vegetarians. It is rich in vitamins and minerals making it a good food for bone health, skin health, and lung function. B/c of the fiber content it is also useful for digestion and bowel movements.

Jicama Root: This root vegetable has a taste like a pear. It is often used in salads but can be cooked as well. Contains inulin, which is a prebiotic. Fiber rich, high in vitamin C, low in calories and has a high water content. A one cup serving will contain 49 calories, 6 grams fiber, 11 grams carbs. The whole jicama can last in the fridge for several weeks since it is a root vegetable but once cut open use within several days before it dries out. Do not leave the peel on! (leaves, seeds, flower and peel are toxic).  Jicama is versatile and can be cooked and prepared like mashed potatoes or used in stir fries.  Do not pick the largest jicama in the store as the larger it gets, it loses its crispness and flavor.  Pick one on the smaller side.

Red onion: A red onion is more antioxidant rich than white or yellow onions, peel back only the outer layer as most of the benefits lie in the first few layers of the onion. It is rich in quercetin which is a compound that is known to help with seasonal allergies. Quercetin can also be useful to use for joint inflammation, asthma, and can aid in severity of bladder infections (although don’t use this as your sole remedy for a UTI). Also, a rich source of chromium, which helps to lower blood sugar levels.

Apricots: they are rich in fiber, have the minerals needed for bone support, has anti-inflammatory properties, and may be beneficial for asthma.

EVOO: Rich in antioxidants, It can help to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol, Good for brain health, Can boost metabolism, Can reduce inflammation, Improves digestion, May prevent breast cancer and can protect the body against tumor growth, Can reduce high blood pressure, Can prevent and manage type 2 diabetes

Cinnamon: is used to help balance blood sugar, good for cholesterol support, may be used for PCOS and ulcers.

Cumin: good for indigestion, good source of iron, also provides fiber and vitamin E, has antimicrobial properties