Beet and Edamame Salad

So the boys and I took a short ride out to Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, Mass this Saturday to get some fresh air. It was so beautiful. The park surrounds an old granite quarry that looks out on a very rocky shoreline. It was more of a walk than a hike, but it was a lovely walk through the woods around the quarry to the shoreline. The fresh, salty air felt amazing! Archer had a great time smelling every single rock, stick and blade of grass in the place.

 

After spending some lovely time outside getting fresh air and exercise, I wanted to make something fresh and delicious for dinner. A few weeks ago, I spent a fantastic weekend at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Mass. The experience was amazing, I did hours and hours of different types of yoga, hiked in the Berkshires and ate some incredible food. It was there that I discovered raw beets. Now, I love beets and they are a wonderful superfood. But I've never eaten them raw. I had them shredded, raw on salad and they were so sweet and delicious I've been eating them that way since. It is so simple. Just peel the beet with a veggie peeler and then grate on a large box grater (or julienne with a food processor). One medium sized beet will produce at least two salad servings and is incredibly low in calories and packed with nutrients.

So, looking at what I had in the fridge, I decided to make an Asian inspired salad using some delicious shredded beets and edamame. I love edamame, it is the most fantastic snack. I like adding it to salads and stir frys because it packs such a nutritional punch. These little beans are rich in protein, fiber, and folate, manganese and vitamin K. A half cup of shelled beans has only 120 calories but has 9 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein! With the beets and edamame I added some baby bok choy and carrots. I topped it with some low calorie vinaigrette. I was going to make a dressing, but I am loving the Ginger Soy Vinaigrette that I got at Whole Foods. It's the 365 Organic house brand and it has only 50 calories per serving! So much flavor and very low in calories. So I needed an excuse to use it and tell you about it.

This salad was a lovely way to end a great and healthy day!
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Edamame Guacamole

I LOVE guacamole. I love it so much I can't stop myself from eating all of it whenever I make any. Now, despite the fact that avocados are filled with healthy oils and great for your hair and nails, they are unfortunately filled with calories. Pair the guac with some salty and carb filled tortilla chips and you are looking at a pretty high calorie snack that provides little in the way of protein and fiber.

So, I decided it was time to devise a new way to enjoy the amazing deliciousness of guacamole. Enter edamame. As many of you know, edamame, a popular snack in Japan, is an incredible superfood. Filled with folic acid, potassium, vitamin C, iron, vitamin A, it is incredibly nutritious and filling. A one half cup serving has 9 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein in only 120 calories. A serving of edamame has as much iron as a chicken breast! Such a nutritional powerhouse is the perfect thing to add to guacamole to increase the nutrients while making one of my favorite treats a little healthier.

So try this as a snack or appetizer with some fresh cut veggies. I dipped radishes, pepper, carrots and cucumbers and it made for such a creamy and tasty veggie dip. Whole grain chips and crackers are also great dipping options. As a comparison, I calculated the nutrition info in my tradition guacamole recipe, which has 250 calories, 3 grams of protein, and 22 grams of fat per serving. My new edamame guacamole has 110 calories, 6.8 grams of protein and 6 grams of fat per serving. If you're a guacamole lover, you must try this soon!

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