Ottolenghi Two Lime Dressing with Edamame, Asparagus, and Snap Peas

Recipe adapted from Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi

Yotam Ottolenghi is a flavor maestro and a tremendous resource for plant-predominant cooking. His flavor combinations are magical and his recipes allow simple whole food ingredients to shine.

Today’s recipe is an adaptation of his Two Bean and Two Lime Salad from his wonderful cookbook, SIMPLE. His Two Lime Dressing recipe is scrumptious and could be used on any veg, leafy green, or nourish bowl. This nutrient-dense sauce is amazing in its ability to make veggies taste even more delicious.

For his salad, he recommends edamame and green beans. As it is currently asparagus season here in the Pacific Northwest, I decided to use edamame, asparagus, and sugar snap peas. This dressing would be divine on any veg that is in season. Just pick your favorite.

Special Equipment Needed: High-speed blender

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, rinsed

• 1 10- to 14-ounce bag of shelled frozen edamame

• Approximately 2 cups of fresh sugar snap peas, rinsed and with strings removed

• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

• Lime wedges to serve (optional)
  

Two Lime Dressing Ingredients:

• 6 large Makrut lime leaves (Store any extras in the freezer.)

• 3 small or 2 large limes, both zest and juice
  (Preferably organic to avoid pesticide residue in the zest.)

• 1 cup fresh cilantro

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh mint, woody stems removed

• 1 clove of garlic

• 1/4 cup raw walnut pieces
  (His recipe calls for a 1/4 cup of olive oil. I prefer to use walnuts in the place of oil in dressings and sauces to increase the protein, fiber, and omega-3 fats, but feel free to use whichever you like.)

• 2 green chilis, deseeded

• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

Instructions for Salad Ingredients:

• Place a large pot of water on to boil.

• Prepare a large bowl filled with ice water to stop the blanching process.

• Snap the woody ends off the asparagus.

• Chop the asparagus into bite-sized pieces.

• Cut the sugar snap peas into bite-sized pieces and place these into a salad bowl.

• Once the water has come to roiling bowl, blanch the asparagus for 1 minute. Be careful not to overcook it, or it will become mushy.

• Quickly remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon and place it into your ice bath.

• In the same pot of boiling water, cook your edamame until they are tender but not mushy (approximately 4 to 6 minutes).

• Drain the edamame, and place these into the ice bath with the asparagus.

• To ensure that they are fully chilled, leave the veg and beans in the ice bath for at least five minutes. This will help them to retain their bright color and perfect cook.

• Once fully cooled, drain the edamame and asparagus, place on a clean towel, and pat to dry.

Instructions for Two Lime Dressing:

• Zest the limes using a microplane, zester, or the smallest holes on your grater.

• Remove the center stems from the Makrut lime leaves.

• Remove the outer papery covering from the clove of garlic.

• Deseed the chilis.

• Remove the stems from the fresh mint.

• Add the lime leaves, lime zest, cilantro, mint, garlic, walnuts (or olive oil), chilis, salt, and the juice of the limes to the container of a high speed blender.

• Blend on medium-high.

• If it seems too thick and won’t blend easily, add a tablespoon of water at a time until the dressing is smooth and creamy.

• Add the edamame and asparagus to the salad bowl.

• Dress the salad.

• Top with sesame seeds.

• Taste and add salt, as needed.

• Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Prep Time: Approximately 20 minutes

Yield: 6 one-cup servings

Nutrition Information per each 1-cup serving:
Calories: 162 Protein: 12 g Fat: 7.8 g Carbs: 9 g Fiber: 5.3 g Iron: 3.2 mg
Calcium: 101 mg Vitamin A: 67 IU Vitamin C: 51.5 mg Folate: 289 IU
Potassium: 577 mg Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.2 g Saturated Fat: 0.9 g
Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg

This salad is not only delicious, but it is packed with protein, fiber, and phytonutrients.
Plus, it contains one of my favorite protein sources - edamame.

Edamame beans, like all legumes, are particularly powerful players in our quest for optimal health. In the Food Habits in Later Life longitudinal study, a large multi-country study of dietary intake, legumes were shown to be the only food to be associated with reduced risk of death. The results demonstrated that for every 20-gram increase in daily legume consumption, there is an 8% reduced mortality risk. "Higher legume intake is the most protective dietary predictor of survival amongst the elderly, regardless of their ethnicity." (Darmadi-Blackberry et al., 2004)

Moreover, daily intake of edamame has been shown to diminish the vasomotor symptoms of menopause when consumed as part of a plant-predominant, whole food diet. In the WAVS trial—the Women’s Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms - the researchers found that, “a plant-based diet rich in soy reduced moderate to severe hot flashes by 88% and helped women lose, on average, eight pounds in 12 weeks.” (Barnard et al., 2021)

Isn’t it wonderful when eating for health is so delicious!

Wishing you tremendous flavor and abundant good health.
💕🌱

References:

Darmadi-Blackberry, I., Wahlqvist, M. L., Kouris-Blazos, A., Steen, B., Lukito, W., Horie, Y., & Horie, K. (2004). Legumes: the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 13(2), 217–220. www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15228991/

Barnard, N. D., Kahleova, H., Holtz, D. N., del Aguila, F., Neola, M., Crosby, L. M., & Holubkov, R. (2021). The women’s study for the alleviation of vasomotor symptoms (WAVS): A randomized, controlled trial of a plant-based diet and whole soybeans for postmenopausal women. Menopause, 28(10), 1150–1156. www.doi.org/10.1097/gme.0000000000001812