Snow Day Snacks: Edamame Hummus

I'm in preparation mode here, minus the hysterics and doomsday predictions. Snowstorms can be lots of fun to watch from the safe comfort of the inside of your living room. Or, in my case and maybe yours, the kitchen. I've already taken orders about what kinds of snacks and treats the rest of my family wants, and I can make those on the fly as soon as the flakes start falling. Besides, those involve cookies, and I want to involve the boys in their preparation. 

For me, it's all about hummus. It is the perfect snack, savory and protein-filled. It accepts all dip delivery systems from potato chips and pretzels to pita and veggies. Hummus feels like an entire food group, so vast and essential this humble dip has become to me. I've now moved onto edamame hummus, prompted by a purchase of an enormous 3-pound bag of frozen shelled pods at Wegmans. Seriously, you didn't have anything smaller than that? Who buys that much edamame en masse? Absent another non-GMO, organic option in a smaller more freezer-friendly size, I apparently do. 

Lemons, chickpeas, edamame.... hummus is on the way! 

This option is flecked with edamame rather than the green pods forming the basis of the hummus. If you'd rather an all edamame-event, just swap out the chickpeas in equal measure. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup edamame
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 
• Zest and juice of one lemon
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1-2 garlic cloves, smashed
• Kosher salt to taste
• 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro
• 3 T. extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine all of the ingredients. Add the olive oil through the funnel. It won't be completely perfectly smooth, but instead it will be happily tinged with green. 

Yield: About 3 1/2 cups