A Quick Lunch

When it came time to make lunch today, I was in the mood for something fast and light, and since Sam had mentioned it last evening, I decided to make shells with edamame. It's a simple dish to prepare that while nutritious and filling, won't weigh you down after you've finished. I've adapted the Asian-style sauce that the pasta and soybeans are tossed in from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer.



Shells with Edamame
Serves two

-First, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. While waiting, make the sauce by combining two teaspoons of agave nectar, two teaspoons of toasted sesame oil, two teaspoons of brown rice vinegar, and five teaspoons of tamari in a medium bowl.

-Once the water is boiling, add about cup of frozen edamame. I used the kind that was still in the pod, but you can also use pre-shelled edamame and skip the shelling. The edamame will cook in a minute or two. When it's ready, scoop it out of the pot and run it under cold water.

-Drop enough pasta shells to serve two (depending on your appetite) into the boiling water. I used whole wheat, though I'm sure any other type of shells would work just as well. While the pasta is cooking, shell the edamame, dropping the soybeans into the sauce.

-Drain the cooked shells and toss with the soybeans and sauce. Garnish with black or white sesame seeds. While any shape of pasta will do for this recipe, I like the shells because they catch the soybeans and sauce inside of them. This dish will be equally delicious served hot or cold.