edamame hummus

I made this for a New Year's Eve snack last weekend, for the two New Year's parties my brother Matt and I were attending. As long as you've got a food processor, this is a really easy dip to make, and can easily be doubled or even tripled for a crowd, as I did. It's a little salty, a little lemony, a little garlicy, and a whole lot of edamame.

The ingredients are a mostly pretty straightforward, although the frozen edamame beans and the tahini paste might be a little more difficult to come by. Tahini is the one main thing that relates this dip back to hummus, which it otherwise doesn't have much in common with. It was definitely a different type of dish, which, if I'm honest, met with some mixed reviews. I found that couple of chips worth were tasty and enjoyable, but I didn't feel compelled to keep eating more. My friend Kristina, who hosted one of my two parties, felt differently, and actually texted me asking for the recipe. That doesn't happen too often, and who I am to ignore popular demand?

Just be forewarned, there is a pretty high likelihood that party goers will take a quick look at this hummus and be all "Oooo guacamole," after which you are pretty much dealing with a thousand shattered dreams. This is not to say that edamame hummus is without its own light and healthy charms, but guacamole, it is not. That's why I thought it was kind of funny when I came across a recipe for another edamame dip that actually has avocado, cilantro and lime juice in it. It sounds pretty tasty, but I almost wonder if this might make one even more disappointed in the lack of proper guacamole. If it sounds like something you might want to try, here's the recipe. Otherwise, here's the one that I made!

Edamame Hummus
from The Just Bento Cookbook by Makiko Itoh, via Serious Eats' Cook the Book

2 cups frozen or fresh shelled edamame beans
1 tablespoon tahini or sesame paste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves roasted garlic (see note)
¼ cup lime or lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt

Put the edamame in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until the beans are tender. Drain and cool under running water to fix the bright green color. Reserve 2 or 3 edamame to use as garnish.

Put all the ingredients into a food processor. Process until smooth. Taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Garnish on top with the reserved whole edamame beans.

Note: To roast garlic wrap an entire head of garlic in foil and bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until soft and brown.