I don’t say this often, but I occasionally reach my tolerable upper limit for sweets. After working on the dessert chapter for my book while simultaneously creating holiday cookie recipes for the blog, these words have come out of my mouth more than a few times lately.
You know what I can’t eat too much of? Hummus, that’s what. I don’t think I’ve ever said to myself, “gee, I think I overdid it with the hummus”. It’s just not possible (or maybe I’m not eating enough hummus. Hmmm).
Humour me for a moment while I tell you what drives me absolutely insane. The other week, I’m standing in the checkout line skimming a women’s magazine and the writer advises us dear hummus lovers to stick to a 2 tablespoon serving of hummus at holiday parties because “those healthy calories can really add up”. What the hell. I’m pretty sure I can squeeze more than 2 tablespoons onto one lonely toasted pita wedge. It was a miracle my annoyance didn’t burst that magazine into flames right then and there. The nerve.
[I clearly have some unresolved issues from reading too many teen magazines as a gullible teenager. Breathe.]
In honour of taking a short break from the holiday cookie madness, I’d like to show you this feel-good green appetizer that I made for a recent Christmas party. Based off my favourite food group, hummus (which forms the base of my food pyramid), this edamame spread is a familiar twist on an old classic using traditional hummus ingredients like garlic, lemon, tahini, and olive oil. It’s absolutely fool-proof. Add a pinch of smoked paprika on top and you have a festive red and green holiday appetizer thrown together in minutes flat.
I encourage you to enjoy much more than 2 tablespoons of this healthy green dip! We sure did.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Edamame Hummus
Yield
2 heaping cups
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Based off my favourite food group, hummus, this edamame spread is a familiar twist on an old classic using traditional hummus ingredients like garlic, lemon, tahini, and olive oil.
Ingredients
- 1 (500g) bag frozen organic shelled edamame (equal to 3 cups thawed/drained)
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice (I used 4 tbsp)
- 1/4 cup tahini (stir well before measuring)
- 2-4 tbsp water, to thin as needed (I used 3 tbsp)
- 1/2-1 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste (I used 3/4 tsp)
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander seeds, optional
- 1/8th tsp cayenne pepper, optional
To garnish
- smoked paprika
- freshly ground black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- edamame
Directions
- If starting with thawed edamame, rinse and drain before using. If starting with frozen edamame, simmer in a pot of water until edamame is heated through. Rinse and drain before using. You can also remove the skins of the edamame for a slightly smoother spread, but I didn’t bother. Set aside a handful of edamame beans for garnish just before serving.
- With motor running on food processor, drop in 2 garlic cloves to mince.
- Next, add edamame to processor and process until somewhat smooth, stopping to scrape down the side of the bowl as necessary.
- Add in the lemon juice, tahini, and water and process again until smooth. Don’t be afraid to let the processor run for a few minutes and get it really smooth!
- Add salt to taste along with optional cayenne pepper and ground coriander. Process again until combined.
- Scoop into a serving bowl. Garnish with smoked paprika, freshly ground black pepper, a generous drizzle of olive oil, and reserved edamame. Serve with crostini, toasted pita chips, crudités, and/or crackers.
If you’d like to check out my other favourite hummus spreads, see these recipes below:
The hummus that changed everything Red lentil hummus
Happy 12/12/12!
Hi Angela, i just made this recipe and it was amazing! Can´t believe it is so good and so simple! thanks!!!I
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know.
2 tablespoons ? Never!. That is why hummus is called vegan crack. I am thawing edamame as I write this.
This hummus looks so good!
That magazine article is ridiculous, articles like that make me mad, totally promoting an unhealthy mindset when it comes to food! Plus I’m not sure it’s even possible to limit hummus consumption to 2 tablespoons!
Hi Angela!
I love your blog! I’m a college student and struggling to recover from some disordered eating habits of my own right now, and I just wanted to let you know that on my bad days I find myself coming to your blog for some extra motivation! Your posts always seem to remind me that food should be fun and healthy, and reading your readers’ comments helps to put everything into a positive light. Thanks and I look forward to seeing whats in store for the holidays!
Hey Lil, Thank you so much, that means a lot to me. Goodluck with your own recovery!
Thanks!
Ugh, of all the foods that magazine could “counsel” us on with regards to holiday eating… hummus?! Why oh why must they pick on this healthy food?!
How about suggesting that people limit themselves to only 2 tablespoons of butter on their mashed potatoes …or what about only consuming 2 tablespoons of frosting out of the bowl while making frosting for sugar cookies :P ha ha
I can’t agree with you more!!!! I also LOVE LOVE LOVE hummus. I ate an insane amount when I start. I usually just eat hummus straight. It is soooooooooo delicious. I need to stop making or buying them, because I got stuck one time. My stomach was upset. :-(
But still, HUMUSSSSSSSSSSSSS! :-)))))) LOVE YOUR IDEA. :-)))))))
“What the hell. I’m pretty sure I can squeeze more than 2 tablespoons onto one lonely toasted pita wedge. It was a miracle my annoyance didn’t burst that magazine into flames right then and there. The nerve.”
Bwahahahahaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaa *catches breath* bwahahahahaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! This was hysterical and oh so true! I’ve never understood the whole 2 tbsp per serving thing. I could easily eat an entire bucket in one sitting without feeling bad about it at all. Also, I *love* these pictures! That pink matched with the gorgeous green of the edamame is absolutely superb.
This sounds great! Is there a chance this could me made ahead of time, frozen and then thawed on Christmas day for serving before dinner? I have so much cooking to do on Christmas day (many different people & diets to cover).
Im not sure if hummus can be placed in the freezer and thawed….I would try googling it first! Im sure it would be fine.
The hummus sounds amazing but the pictures are even better. Just yesterday I was reading your post on how to build a light box. Out of curiosity, did you use the light box for these photos?
I’m afraid my light box didn’t make the move last spring! We just dont have the space for it in our new place unfortunately. I shoot everything beside my window, all taken with natural light.
I made this for lunch today to have with whole grain crackers. Mine turned out a little bland until I added Tapatio sauce and sprinkled the top with chipotle powder. It was then delicious. Plus, it looked very Christmasy — green and red.
I love your entry! I wholeheartedly agree with you, the only thing that stops me from eating heaping portions of hummus for lunch and dinner is that my stomach can only tolerate so much beans.
I made the edamame hummus last night and brought it to a dinner party – it was a hit! I used about one more Tbsp of lemon juice and added a little olive oil. Nom nom nom.
Yum! Made this to have something healthy for lunch today. Totally yum, and the colour is such a nice springy green…takes me away from the -25C we a having here. :):)
I made this recipe for a meeting where most of the people attending think anything veggie is gross and…..everyone LOVED it!
Glad to hear that!
First, I’m so excited that someone else has hummus as a food group!
Second, I’m excited to try the edamame hummus.
Also, the photography of your food is gorgeous. It’s made me hungry the last 2 hours I’ve been browsing. :-)
Thank you Dawn! Enjoy :)
I wish that you would mention how much you like a strong lemon flavor when you are writing your blogs. For this recipe, I used 2 tbsp just in case, and that was just right. The lemon flavor was a high note, but not overpowering. Having used quite a few of your recipes, I can let you know that I never end up wanting more than half the amount of lemon juice that you use. I remember having a number of ruined recipes before I started halving the LJ as standard practice, so I feel like a friendly reminder to your readers that you enjoy a very strong lemon flavor wouldn’t go amiss. At least they would know to add the LJ tbsp by tbsp until they achieved the flavor strength of their preference.
This is great! I accidentally bought a bag of edamame that was only half of what the recipe calls for. I kept everything else the same and it still tasted great! Thanks for sharing!
Tahini and I don’t always get along . . . Could I omit or exchange it for something else?
Hmm I’m really not sure! Tahini is a tough one. It would probably be ok without it, but it just wouldnt be as creamy or have that kick to it so you might need to play around with the rest of the ingredients. Also, I would skin the edamame as it will yield a creamier result overall.
This recipe is great! Just made it for my toddler’s lunch with a variety of veggies and crackers. His container looked like a rainbow…so pretty! Any idea how long this should last in the fridge? Would like to take the rest to playdate this weekend. Thank you for this recipe!
I think it should last for 5 days or longer?
I am absolutely addicted to this. It’s become my go to healthy snack/dip.
Thanks!
Made an awesome slightly modified version of this today to have with my low carb stuffed grape leaves…omg so good!
I will pretty much be making these every time I make the grape leaves from now on.
Thanks so much for the recipe!:)