Edamame Feta Salad
The feta is creamy, rich, adds big flavor, and edamame is a plant-based protein powerhouse. Between the protein and fiber, it helps keep you full for awhile. The corn, red pepper, green onions, and cilantro add layers of flavors, textures. Wheat berries are very chewy, hearty, and give the salad oomph but quinoa or brown rice can be used. Everything is tossed with a small amount of lemon and lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne which doesn’t make it spicy but rather makes it not bland. There’s lots of wiggle room in the recipe and if you’re short or over, by a half-cup or so on any of the ingredients, it’s okay. The salad is great right out of the mixing bowl but it tastes better the second day.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 cups edamame I boil for about 5 minutes in the micro, shelled and cooked
- 1 cup corn I use frozen and set it on top of the hot edamame in the bowl and it thaws in minutes, frozen or fresh
- 1 cup wheat berries cooked
- ½ red pepper seeded and diced small (yellow or orange peppers may be substituted)
- ½ cilantro or to taste, bunch, leaves only, stems discarded
- feta cheese or more to taste (I used fat-free, heaping 1/2 cup, crumbled
- 2 green onions trimmed and sliced very thin (I use entire onion from white to green)
- 1 Roma tomato optional, or vine-ripened tomato, diced small
- 1 avocado pitted, and diced, optional, small/medium Hass, peeled
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- cayenne pepper doesn’t make it spicy, makes it not bland, generous pinch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- To a large bowl, add all ingredients in the order listed, and toss very well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Salad may be served immediately although the flavors marry, develop, and salad tastes even better the second day. Salad will keep airtight in fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4 cups, serves 2 very generously or 4 modestly
Amount Per Serving
Calories 481
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1 | |
| Calories | 481kcal | 24% |
| Carbohydrates | 34g | 11% |
| Protein | 15g | 30% |
| Fat | 35g | 54% |
| Saturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 23g | 135% |
| Cholesterol | 33mg | 11% |
| Sodium | 894mg | 37% |
| Fiber | 10g | 40% |
| Sugar | 9g | 18% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.