A quick convenient light meal, snack, or side dish, this is one of my go-to favorites any time of the year.

Ingredients

8 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
16 ounces frozen, shelled edamame
1/4 cup seasoned or plain rice vinegar
1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 carrots, shredded
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (raw or toasted)

Directions

Place the water and salt in a soup pot, and bring to a boil. Add the edamame, and cook for five minutes. Rinse immediately with cold water, drain well, and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, tamari, agave, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Add the drained edamame to the bowl, along with the carrots and sesame seeds. Toss well to combine. Chill at least two hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

Yield: 3 cups

Food Lore: In Japanese, edamame literally means “twig bean” (eda = “twig” + mame = “bean”) in reference to the short stem at the end of the pod.