So I work at two different restaurants as a bartender/server. One of these restaurants is a sushi place, and one of these restaurants is a brewery. (Perk of working at two completely different places: I can get a fat discount on pretty much any kind of food I want.) The one thing that these places both have is edamame hummus.

If you’ve never had edamame hummus before, you’re missing out. I love me some good ol’ regular chickpea hummus, but gosh darnit this stuff is good! There’s a little more texture, and you get that wonderful fresh slightly sweet flavor of the edamame bean.

I eat it at work all the time, it’s a great alternative to some of my other favorite dishes (french fries, ice cream, fried rice) when I’m trying to stay on the healthy side. I decided it was about time to try making it myself! Don’t tell anyone, but I think my version is better than any hummus I’ve ever been served!

For those of you that don’t know, edamame is another word for soy bean. Soy products are a fantastic source of protein for those who follow a vegetarian diet. They contain eight of the nine essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are the acids that our bodies cannot produce itself, so we must ingest them. The proteins, as well as isoflavones, help lower levels of LDL cholesterol. These little beans contain so many nutrients it’s crazy!

This recipe takes just minutes to make, and is more cost effective than buying pre-made hummus at the store. Another bonus is that you know exactly what’s in it! No preservatives or chemical nasties. The flavor of this hummus is just right; a little bit of a kick combined with that fresh cilantro taste.

Ingredients

8 oz cooked and shelled edamame (I bought a bag of frozen shelled edamame, but you can buy fresh if you prefer)

1/3 C water

1/3 C tahini

2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for garnish

1 tsp sesame oil

1 lemon, juiced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4-1/3 C cilantro, depending on your taste

sunflower seeds for garnish

Directions

Place the cooked edamame, water, and tahini in a food processor or blender. Puree for 1-2 minutes. I prefer mine to have a little more texture, so I puree it for closer to 1 minute, just so there aren’t any large chunks of edamame.

Add the olive oil, sesame oil, and lemon juice, puree just long enough for it to come together. Scrape the sides of the food processor or blender if necessary.

Sprinkle in the garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and cilantro and puree to combine to your liking. I like having larger pieces of cilantro. The longer you puree it, the creamier it will become.

Drizzle with olive oil and top with sunflower seeds.

Under proper storage this will keep for up to 10 days, you can always add a bit of oil or water if it starts to dry out.