Edamame Succotash

This past weekend I made a promise to myself to be more proactive with my cooking and overall health. This could have been triggered by a Saturday night binge including a slice of 99 cent pizza, terrible Chinese take-out, and PC’s new pepperoni pizza bites with garlic dipping sauce (not the wisest choice). My grand idea of Sunday detoxification from those nightmarish calories included 90 minutes in the torture chamber of Bikram Hatha Yoga. For those of you who are not familiar with this practice, let me fill you in. Picture this: holding 26 different positions for two minutes at a time in a 40 degree room, with no way out. Our instructor, who has the tightest abs I have ever seen, mandated that we were not to leave the room at any point during the class. Her explanation, “to not disturb the others’ practice”. I reckon, it is much safer to have my sister and I feeling roller coaster nausea, near black out state, begging for this moment to end… and yes, I will be returning tomorrow for round two.

After experiencing this toxin releasing stretch-fest, the last thing I could think of is putting more junk in my body. I was craving something refreshing without sacrificing any taste. So I quickly filtered through my latest copy of the Food Network mag, and stumbled across this amazing Edamame salad recipe. It includes my favourite fresh veggies: corn, red peppers, red onions, and ….Applewood-smoked bacon. Ok, I know that it is a bit of a cheat, but it adds such amazing flavour to the mix and can be substituted for chicken or turkey bacon. Now for the nutritious side, the Japanese Edamame bean is packed with protein, high in fibre, omega-3 fatty acids, and above all, is loaded with flavour. Don’t be afraid to add any extra ingredients to this perfect side dish and call it your own.

Xo Dom Appetit!

Edamame Succotash

Taken from: The Food Network

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 5 mins

Tools Needed: measuring cups and spoons, large skillet, cutting board, paring knife, spatula

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
½ cup finely diced red onion
1 teaspoon of minced garlic (I chopped 3 garlic cloves! Delish!)
2-3 strips of applewood-smoked bacon, finely chopped (1/3 cup)
1 cup of frozen Edamame (thawed)
½ cup of fresh corn kernels, from 1 small ear
¼ cup small-diced red bell pepper
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Directions:

1)      In a large skillet, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic until softened (2 mins). Add the bacon and cook until it begins to crisp (5 mins), drain some of the fat.
2)      Add the Edamame, corn and bell pepper and sauté for 2 to 3 mins. Season with a dash of salt and pepper. Remove from heat and serve hot. Makes about 2 cups.