Hummus

I know I regularly give props to Athenos but its because I love their Greek style products. I am hooked on my new “Greek Salad” that I started eating a few weeks ago with their reduced fat feta crumbles and now they have me STUCK on the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. I was ALWAYS a plain hummus girl but now I have been converted. The kick of the red peppers roasted into the creamy chickpeas and olive oil is just perfect on crackers, on top of salads or with raw veggies. MMMM! I am so glad that I changed my routine up a little bit and tried this.

Peggy’s Premium Edamame

I don’t even know where to start with this post but Edamame is my new favorite food. I can not believe I was missing out on the joys of Edamame this entire lifetime, now I feel like I must make up for it. I have seen it frequently on menus—offered steamed or lightly salted etc… but it never sounded appealing enough to order. When given the chance to try it at home I was thrilled but was not even halfway in the know about what I was in store for. So I steamed my pre-portioned pouch of Peggy’s PREMIUM (no joke it is premium) right in the microwave at work. They looked totally simple. Bright green with huge pods. They were super easy to pop open the steamed bean popped out so easily. Each pod had a few soybeans in them and they were delectable. Firm but cooked and oh so tasty. So there are tons of foods out there that taste good but how about ones that rival Edamame nutritionally? I can not think of many. Now here are some reasons you need to make these delicious soybeans a part of your diet:

-Edamame are packed with nutrition.
-They contain organic compounds and amino acids essential for good health and are naturally high in fiber and protein
-Beneficial compounds that are found in Edamame include isoflavones such as genistein and daidzein, which act as antioxidants, and alpha-lineolic acid
-A 1 cup serving of Edamame contains 8 grams of fiber, equivalent to 1/3 of the U.S. recommended daily allowance, and 17 grams of protein

Creamy Bean-Asparagus-Wild Mushroom Soup

I have always loved creamy soups but not the nutritionals that came along with it.

Puree 1 can of rinsed Great Nothern White Beans with enough milk to make a soupy consistency
Choose veggies and spices to add to the soup base. I like making a creamy asparagus:

Steam asapargus ahead of time then cut into bite size pieces. Simmer in soup base with some pepper and nu-salt or any
low sodium salt replacer.

You can also sautee a variety of mushrooms and make wild mushroom soup.

I am sure there are so many other ideas you can come up with.

Try this soup and don't forget to pair with Kathy's Savory Krackers on the side!