Recipe: Multi-Bean Medley and Article: Soy in Both Fashion and Health Spotlights

SOY IN BOTH FASHION AND HEALTH SPOTLIGHTS
From the American Institute for Cancer Research

You can eat well and be trendy too. Edamame (pronounced "eh-dah-MAH-me") has become a fashionable vegetable in recent years. Large peas nestled in a pod about the size of a sugar snap pea, the green soybean is sweet, crisp and packed with all the nutrients that put soy in the health headlines.

Although the effects of eating soy are controversial, soy has been linked in some studies to a lower incidence of breast cancer. Studies show that Asian women have very low rates of breast cancer compared to women in the west. (The Chinese have eaten soybeans since the 3rd century A.D., the Japanese by the tenth.) However, when Asian women migrate to western countries and start eating typical western diets, their breast cancer rates begin to rise.

Researchers are still investigating if soy consumption can really lower cancer risk and if so, how much is beneficial. Some scientists have reported benefits with as little as 11 grams of soy protein a day.

The Chinese call soybeans "mao dao," or "hair bean," because of their fuzzy pods. The Japanese named them edamame (meaning branch beans), the name they are usually known by here in the United States.

Until recently, edamame were available only in Asian food stores. Now many supermarkets sell them frozen in bags, either shelled or in the pod.

MULTI-BEAN MEDLEY

8 oz. green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise
1 (1 lb.) bag frozen edamame
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 bay leaf
Fresh rosemary sprigs, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (1 lb) can small white beans, rinsed and drained
1 carrot, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans and cook at a simmer until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and transfer beans to a bowl of ice water. When beans are cool, drain well.

Return pot of water to a boil and add edamame. Cook 4 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water. If edamame are in pods, shell them. (To speed preparation time, use two pots to cook green beans and edamame at the same time.)

In a 4-quart saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf and rosemary. Cook over low heat, stirring, until onion is soft, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add white beans, carrots, celery and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green beans and edamame and simmer, uncovered, until just heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir in parsley. Discard bay leaf and rosemary sprigs and serve.

Makes 6 servings

Per serving: 199 calories, 4 g. total fat (less than 1 g. saturated fat), 25 g. carbohydrate, 14 g. protein, 6 g. dietary fiber.