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By Root 857 0

So what’s a girl to do? Once again, it’s soybeans to the rescue! Edamame has just enough fat and texture to make a lighter, healthier pesto work. It also makes the pesto at once bulky and creamy. It’s a miracle, really. Oh, little soybean, what can’t you do? Here’s pesto with linguine, sautéed mushrooms for meatiness, and red onions for just a tinge of sweetness. I’m sure this pesto will be making appearances elsewhere, too. It’s not completely fat free, but it has about one-fifth the fat and calories of your average pesto plus five times the fiber. Not too shabby.

1 recipe Edamame Pesto (recipe follows)

8 ounces spinach linguine or other pasta

1 teaspoon olive oil

Small red onion, cut into thinly sliced half-moons

½ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon salt

Extra chopped fresh basil, for garnish

Put on a pot of salted water to boil. Then prepare the pesto.

Once the pesto is ready, preheat a large pan over medium heat. At this point your pasta water should be ready, so add the linguine.

Sauté the onion in oil for about 5 minutes. Use a little nonstick cooking spray as needed, or a splash of water if you prefer. Mix in the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and salt. Cover the pot and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

The pasta should be ready now, so drain it.

TIP

As a cilantro lover, I like to sneak a handful into my pesto. It doesn’t overwhelm, it just gives basil pesto a special little something. Try it if you like!

When the mushrooms have cooked down, add the pasta to the pan, along with the pesto. Use a pasta spoon to stir and coat the linguine. Get everything good and mixed and the pesto heated through, about 3 minutes. The pesto should be relatively thick, but if it’s too thick (not spreading out and coating the pasta) add a few tablespoons of water. Taste for salt.

Serve immediately, garnished with a little chopped fresh basil.

Edamame Pesto

SERVES 4 • ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES • TOTALTIME: 10 MINUTES

PER SERVING

(¼ RECIPE):

Calories: 130

Calories from fat: 50

Total fat: 6 g

Saturated fat: 0 g

Trans fat: 0 g

Fiber: 5 g

Protein: 11 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 370 mg

Vitamin A: 10%

Vitamin C: 25%

Calcium: 8%

Iron: 15%

This makes a lot of pesto, meaning your pasta won’t feel skimpy in the least, and your veggies will feel nice and smothered.

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup packed basil leaves

1 (14-ounce) package frozen shelled edamame, thawed

½ cup vegetable broth

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)

Place the garlic and basil in a food processor and pulse a few times to get them chopped up. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until relatively smooth, scraping down the sides with a spatula to make sure you get everything. Add a little more vegetable broth if it seems too stiff. Set aside until ready to use.

Ginger Bok Choy & Soba

SERVES 2 TO 4 • ACTIVE TIME: 25 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 25 MINUTES

PER SERVING

(¼ RECIPE):

Calories: 250

Calories from fat: 20

Total fat: 2 g

Saturated fat: 0 g

Trans fat: 0 g

Total carb: 51 g

Fiber: 5 g

Sugars: 4 g

Protein: 12 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 930 mg

Vitamin A: 190%

Vitamin C: 160%

Calcium: 25%

Iron: 20%

I love bok choy because it’s like two veggies in one: the crisp, bright stems and the silky, tender leaves. This dish is so simple yet so satisfying, especially on a weeknight when you want something green but steamed veggies are just not going to cut it. It’s also great if you wanna slurp some noodles. The other thing I should mention is that it is extremely customizable. I sometimes add dry-fried tofu, prepared the same way as in the Hoison-Mustard Tofu (page 153), or azuki beans or even black beans if I need something just a bit more hardy.

To have this on the table in under half an hour, boil the water for the soba first thing, and begin prepping the veggies. Start sautéing the veggies when you’ve added the soba to the water,