Inspiration: Brandon has been bugging me for years to cook more Chinese food. We both love Chinese, but for whatever reason, I just don’t tend to cook much Chinese-inspired food at home. I think part of it is because it requires a lot of condiments and ingredients that I generally don’t keep on hand, and I really hate cluttering up my fridge with all kinds of bottles, etc. I recently caved and bought all kinds of stuff, though, and I promised Brandon that I’d cook a lot more Chinese food in the coming weeks in order to use everything up. I think he’s a happy camper.

What We Loved: I could have eaten the whole pan of this salad as a main course. Soy sauce and sesame oil are a couple of classic ingredients in Chinese-style dishes, and they really coat the vegetables nicely with a rich and salty flavor. Plenty of garlic powder adds its wonderful garlicky goodness, and you really can’t go wrong with so many vegetables all thrown into the same dish. With edamame, three different peppers, onions, and mushrooms all mixed together, this dish is chock-full of nutrients, colors, and flavors. Plus, it’s really a snap to throw together.

Tips: I added pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, and sesame oil to taste (going heavier on the garlic and the soy sauce). Make sure to add enough of the liquid ingredients to create a sort of sticky coating for the vegetables, but be careful with the soy sauce, as it is very salty (even the reduced sodium version, which I always like to use). I’d recommend being conservative with the soy sauce at first, adding more as necessary until you get enough flavor without too much salt.

Edamame Salad
Source: Original Recipe

Sesame oil
2-3 slices onion, diced
3 small sweet peppers, diced (I used one red, one yellow, and one orange)
8 baby bella or cremini mushrooms, diced
About 1 cup frozen edamame
Black pepper
Garlic powder
Reduced sodium soy sauce
Black and white sesame seeds

1. Heat a good drizzle of sesame oil in a saute pan. Add the onions, peppers, and mushrooms, and saute until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown.

2. Add the edamame. Season to taste with black pepper, garlic powder, soy sauce, and additional sesame oil. Add enough soy sauce and sesame oil to create a nice coating for the vegetables, but be careful with the soy sauce – too much might be too salty.

3. Stir to combine, and continue cooking for about 8-10 minutes, until the edamame is softened and cooked through. Taste, adding more seasonings if necessary.

4. Serve topped with black and white sesame seeds.