Edamame Soup with Wasabi Cream

Every now and then I get a wild and crazy food idea that refuses to go away. This one came to me while I chatted on the phone with my mom about (what else) food. We were going back and forth throwing out ideas for dinner and healthy proteins, when all of a sudden I said "Oooh, what if I made a soup out of edamame? That could be really cool!" Supportive as always, my mom said, "That sounds interesting." Then I replied, "I could even drizzle a bit of a wasabi cream on top." Moving quickly, I snatched a nearby post-it note and wrote down, "Edamame Soup with Wasabi Cream". And then, like most great ideas, the post-it note languished under a pile of papers on my desk for the next three months. Sad but true.

A New Year's cleaning binge resurrected the post-it note and with a batch of homemade vegetable stock waiting in the fridge, I could ignore the crazy idea no longer. It only took a quick sauté of vegetables, followed by a short simmer of broth and edamame, and the soup was ready in less than 30 minutes. Much like fresh peas, edamame can have a fibrous texture and it was necessary to puree the soup in a blender to achieve a smooth split pea soup consistency. Unlike split-peas, edamame gave the dish a bright, fresh, and almost grassy flavor reminiscent of springtime (which was very welcome in January!). Lightly scented with ginger and spiked with a dollop of wasabi cream, we enjoyed this creamy fresh soup quite a bit.

So if you are bored with the usual line-up of healthy soups and want to shake it up, grab some frozen edamame and get crazy with your soup pot! The results may be surprisingly delicious.

Edamame Soup with Wasabi Cream (Printable Recipe)

Serves 4-6 (As a starter course)

Ingredients:

Soup

1 Tablespoon Olive oil

1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, diced

1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 " piece of ginger, peeled and diced

26 ounces shelled edamame, about 4 cups, (frozen is fine)

4 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Wasabi Cream

1/4 cup sour cream (light is fine)

1/2 teaspoon pure wasabi powder

Directions:

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Add in olive oil, sesame oil, garlic, shallots, onion, and ginger. Saute until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Next add shelled edamame to the pot and stir to break up any frozen chunks. Add in the vegetable stock and bring soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the soup is simmering make the wasabi cream. In a small bowl mix together the sour cream and wasabi powder until well combined. Let sit while the soup cooks and the flavor will develop.

When the soup is finished simmering, add salt to the pot, and puree the mixture in a blender until smooth. Serve hot with a swirl of wasabi cream on top.

Postscript: The lovely Mayberry Magpie sent me the nutrition information for this soup.
Per Serving - Calories: 169 Fat: 7.9g Fiber: 3.7g Protien: 11.5g