Edamame in the shell

I laugh as I type in "recipe" as a label for this entry because the instructions are so simple. Guess this is a typical American recipe.

• Buy a bag of edamame in the shell in the frozen food section of your grocery store, Asian market or health food store.
• Open the bag and pour the amount you want to eat into a dish you can put into the microwave.
• Read the bag and follow the microwave instructions.
• Enjoy!

How did I get this far in life and NOT know the joys of edamame in the shell. I sit cross legged on the sofa with two bowls..one full of hot edamame and another empty one for the shells. I pop open the end of the shell with my fingers, then I bite and suck out the contents of the shell... two or three nice warm nutty flavored smooth green beans. The work involved eating edamame makes it the perfect snack for me. I have never enjoyed shelled edamame in the same way. I would just as soon leave it as eat it. Funny how that works.

Never heard of edamame? It is pronounced "ed-dah-mah-meh" and it means soybean in Japanese. "Oh yes," you say. Everyone has heard of soybeans. Edamame in the shell are an entirely different experience however. Nature's perfect snack food in my mind....they taste great and they are good for you.

If you haven't had them, definitely give them a try.