Designed for lowering cholesterol, this gorgeous dip is mean, green, and ever so keen! I love it! It is really nice with raw veggie sticks, corn chips, rice cakes, or my favourite – on the end of my finger! It is packed with heart-healthy ingredients.
2 handfuls of fresh or frozen edamame (soy) beans
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 fresh green chilli
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Celtic sea salt to taste
Handful of fresh coriander leaves (optional)
Another one of those joyously easy recipes – add all the ingredients, except the coriander leaves, to a blender or food processor, and blend into a smooth luxurious dip. Roughly chop the coriander leaves and add to the dip. Salt to taste, then get stuck in!
Medicinal Properties
Edemame Beans
These are soybeans which have gained a reputation as a mild but effective cholesterol-reducing agent. A recent study in China has shown that the chemical compounds in soya, known as isoflavones, can cause the lowering of LDL cholesterol, and a concurrent raising of HDL cholesterol. It is also believed that it can inhibit the production of “new” LDL cholesterol. Edamame beans also contain chemicals called phytosterols. Phytosterols help to reduce the amount of cholesterol that is absorbed via the digestive system, thus helping to reduce total cholesterol.
Garlic
Yes, that old faithful! The strong-smelling sulphur-based essential oils in garlic have a longstanding reputation for encouraging the body to convert LDL cholesterol into HDL. There is also the presence of ajoene, a chemical that can reduce the activity of clotting factors. Clotting factors are chemicals that encourage the clotting and coagulation of the blood, so reducing their activity can offer protection against heart attacks and strokes.
Chilli
Chilli is one of those great all-rounders, with beneficial properties for virtually every single body system. Like ginger, chillies are a potent circulatory stimulant. The fiery-tasting chemical, capsaicin, which is found in the seeds and inner skin, stimulates the muscles in the blood vessel walls to relax. You may have eaten food with a lot of chilli in the past and experienced that sudden flushing and redness that can occur. This is the circulatory stimulating action of capsaicin, working its magic.
