An Edamame Obsession

One of my favorite snacks is edamame and earlier last year I ran across a recipe in a magazine for roasting it.  I altered the recipe slightly to fit our specific tastes, but the result was nothing short of addictive.  This recipe was also featured on the KEOM Community Cookbook and our listeners provided some awesome feedback.

Parmesan Garlic Edamame

Ingredients:
1 package frozen, shelled edamame
1 tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the edamame according to the package instructions. Let the edamame cool until it gives away no steam. Mix the parmesan cheese, garlic powder, saltand pepper in a bowl. In a separate bowl, toss the edamame with olive oil. Add the parmesan mixture to the edamame and toss until evenly coated. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is crispy.

Cranberry Salsa: A borrowed recipe that turned into the hit of the holidays

This is not one of my original recipes, but as I've mentioned before, I am fond of combining contrasting flavors whether they be salty/ sweet or spicy/ sweet, so I had to give this one a try.  This Cranberry Salsa combines sweet, tart, and spicy plus a salty kick when coupled with tortilla chips.  As it turns out, this salsa was requested so much in my family over the holidays, that I ended up making ten jars to give away as gifts.

You'll need:
1 bag of fresh cranberries (frozen would work as well)
6 small green onions
3 small jalapeno peppers (seeded and chopped)
1 bundle of cilantro
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice from 1 lime

Place your cranberries into the food processor.  Allow them to go through the food processor until they are finely chopped.  Pour them into a separate mixing bowl.

Chop up the green onions, jalapenos, and cilantro.  Finely blend in the food processor.  Add to the bowl of cranberries.

Stir in the sugar, olive oil, and lime juice.  Mix well.

Serve chilled with tortilla chips.  We also used pita chips and they worked great as well.  Each batch will fill two 16 ounce jars.  They made the perfect gift!