February is Heart Month both in the US and Canada, and unfortunately, most of us know someone who has had heart disease or stroke. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; one in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day. And in Canada, heart disease and stroke take one life every 7 minutes and 90% of Canadians have at least one risk factor. Scary stats indeed and so it seems timely to look at some foods that can indeed help fight heart disease.

www.webmd.com/heart-dise
ase/ss/slideshow-foods-to-
save-your-heart?ecd=wnl_hy
p_011713&ctr=wnl-hyp-01171
3_ld-stry&mb tells us about

Edamame

These green soybeans are moving beyond Japanese restaurants, where they're a tasty appetizer. They're packed with soy protein, which can lower blood triglyceride levels. A half cup of edamame also has 9 grams of cholesterol-lowering fiber -- equal to four slices of whole-wheat bread.

Tip: Try frozen edamame, boil, and serve warm in the pod.

www.foodreference.com/ht
ml/fedamame.html share some interesting info about edamame.

- Edamame, a shell bean, is also called an immature green soybean. The popularity of this bean has grown in the past decade and is now easily found frozen in most major supermarkets.
- Edamame is of Chinese origin and was developed in Japan especially for eating out of the pod. Edamame is a variation on the same yellow and black field soybean that is transformed into many popular soy products such as tofu, miso, and soymilk. However, because of its recent introduction into the U.S. market, only a small percentage of U.S. soybean fields are devoted to growing edamame.
- Some call edamame the super or wonder vegetable because it is the only vegetable that contains all nine essential amino acids. This makes edamame a complete protein source, similar to meat or eggs. Edamame also contains isoflavonoids. They are found in all soy products and are being studied for their health benefits.
- Edamame is rarely sold fresh, but is available frozen all year.

allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ch
ickpea-and-Edamame-Salad/D
etail.aspx?prop24=RD_Relat
edRecipes shares with us



Chickpea and Edamame Salad

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups shelled edamame (green soybeans)
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/3 cup minced red onion
1/3 cup minced red bell pepper
1/3 cup minced carrot
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries (such as Ocean Spray Craisins)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon celery salt, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Directions:
Mix edamame, chickpeas, red onion, red bell pepper, carrot, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, olive oil, honey, vinegar, mayonnaise, celery salt, and cayenne pepper together in a large bowl.

Nutritional Info per serving:
Calories - 333
Total Fat - 16.8g
Saturated Fat - 2.2g
Cholesterol - 1mg
Sodium - 260mg
Potassium - 556mg
Total Carbohydrates - 37.1g
Sugars - 14.9g
Dietary Fibre - 5.9g
Protein - 11.5g
Vit A - 25%
Vit C - 49%
Calcium - 19%
Iron - 33%
Thiamin - 31%
Niacin - 27%
Vit B6 - 24%
Magnesium - 22%
Folate - 84%