Edamame

Green is cool so pick up a bag of edamame for one of the healthiest snacks around.

Edamame (loose translation is “beans on branches”) are green soybeans picked prior to fully ripening and before they reach the “hardening” time. The outcome is a marvelous crisp texture and nutty flavor.

This staple of the Japanese diet is one of the biggest nutritional goldmines around.

1 cup of this green giant has a whopping 17 grams of protein, 8 grams of dietary fiber, half the daily requirement for bone-strengthening vitamin K and more than a days worth of folate. Besides its well advertised impact on birth defects, several studies suggest the B vitamin folate protects against heart disease and depression. There’s also plenty of iron, blood-pressure lowering potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, zinc and even some much lauded omega-3 fats to boot.

Edamame is also the richest dietary source of phytoestrogens, which act as weak estrogens to offer some protection against osteoporosis and certain cancers.

It’s also nice to consume a form of soy that is not processed to within an inch of its useful existence. Edamame is widely considered the least processed form of soy you can nosh on.

You can find edamame – in or out of the pod – in the freezer section of most supermarkets.

For an addictive snack, boil edamame, sprinkle with coarse salt and add a squirt of lemon juice. A dash of cayenne can add a pleasant kick. Or try the hummus below on sandwiches or as a dip for whole-grain crackers and veggies.

Edamame Hummus













1 cup shelled edamame
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup plain yogurt
2 garlic cloves
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne or chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste.

Cook edamame according to package directions. Add cooked edamame and the rest of the ingredients to a blender or food processor. Mix until smooth but still slightly grainy.

Butternut Squash Muffins

If you’re still on the hunt for a Christmas day treat, here’s a “may-I-please-have-another” muffin recipe that show’s just how versatile winter squash can be. Thanks to a local farmer and his $3 elephantine butternut squash, I’ve got a freezer full of cubes ready for recipe experimentation.

With better curves than J.Lo, this hourglass-like gourd is blessed with a deep orange flesh that has a silky texture and taste reminiscent of sweet potato bathed in butter. From a nutrition standpoint, butternut squash is well endowed with fiber, vitamin C, potassium and beta-carotene, an antioxidant which is converted to vitamin A in the body to support a healthy immune system. So as winter steamrolls forward, don’t forget that winter squash such as butternut should be your go-to veggie.

Butternut Squash Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

3 cups butternut squash cubes (about 1.5 cups mashed)
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1-inch fresh ginger, grated
6 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1/3 chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a microwave or on the stovetop, steam peeled butternut squash until very tender. Let cool slightly and mash with a fork or potato masher. Mix with applesauce, eggs, sugar, ginger and vegetable oil. In a separate bowl, mix together flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and walnuts if using. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Spoon mixture into 12 medium-sized lightly greased muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before unmolding.

Note: If you don’t have any applesauce on hand make your own by dicing 2 medium, peeled apples and simmering them over low heat until softened. Mash with a fork or potato masher.

Homemade Yogurt

Yogurt is one of my everyday foods. Brimming with protein, calcium and many other vital nutrients, I turn to this great white to help meet my daily nutritional needs. Besides, I adore the rich, creamy taste – I don’t waste my money on the fat-free, sickenly sweet weapons of mass production. But with dairy costs seemingly always creeping upwards (especially for organic), I made the decision recently to have a go at crafting my own. After some trial and error, I’m almost down to a 100% success rate, which is saving a bunch of cash and, as a bonus, is cutting down on the amount of containers ending up in the recycling bin.

What you need
Food thermometer
1 1/3 cup non-instant skim milk powder
¼ cup plain yogurt
1 liter glass jar

How to make it

Scrupulously clean all your equipment and your hands with hot, soapy water to kill off any unwanted bacteria which could ruin your yogurt. Fill jar with water to about 2 inches from the top. Pour the water into a saucepan and heat until 100-110°F. Pour 1 cup of the warm water into a blender and the remainder back into the jar. With the blender on its lowest setting, add the milk powder and yogurt. The instant the mixture is smooth, turn off the blender. Add the milk mixture to the jar and close the lid tightly. Set the jar in the warm oven and let set for 3 or more hours. When the surface of the yogurt resists a slight touch, place the jar in the refrigerator to cool completely and thicken further. Occasionally, you’ll get a batch that does not set. But failures are still great in smoothies.

Note: If using an electric oven, pre-heat it to its lowest heat setting for 2 minutes, turn off, and put in a pot of boiling water along with the yogurt jar. If you have an oven with a gas pilot light, turning it on for a few minutes and then turning it off before adding the yogurt jar should provide enough warmth. You want the temperature of the environment during yogurt setting to stay between 90°F and 120°F. As an alternative to the oven, pour some hot water (115°F) into a cooler, add the jar, and shut the lid, checking every now and then to make sure the internal temperature is in the correct range. Replace water as necessary to maintain warmth.

Fruition Bars

ProBar Fruition
www.theprobar.com












My apologies for the radio silence of late. I’ve been crazy busy writing magazine articles about the wonderful world of nutrition (and rehabbing a bum ankle). Being a harried writer, I’m thankful to have come across Fruition bars - that latest addition to the tasty ProBar family - to give me a quick nutrition boost.

Why these bars rock

With truly healthy bars scarcer than Bigfoot sightings, it’s great that a company has put one together that has few faults.

Within each package of the four flavors (peach, strawberry, blueberry and cran-raspberry) is a mélange of whole foods including whole grains (oats), real fruit, cashews and chia.

The Aztec superfood chia gives these bars a wealth of antioxidants, fiber and essential fats. Each bar has 4 grams of fiber which makes them much more satiating than the many bars out there devoid of grit.

The sweetener used in this vegan bar is brown rice syrup which doesn’t spike your blood sugar to the same degree as overly processed sugars do.

At 160 calories, the bars are a perfect snack size portion. Plus, each are made with mostly organic ingredients.

But most importantly, I promise these will rouse your tastebuds. Too many fruit bars have a pronounced fake fruit flavor that makes you want to heave. Real fruit flavors bring an instant brightness to each chewy and moist Fruition bar. What’s more, the package artwork is almost as tasty as the bars themselves.

Wanna bite? Find these bars at natural food stores, some outdoor shops or online at www.theprobar.com