For lunch… let’s be real… it’s not always fancy salad and irresistible pretzel dogs.
Usually, at the lunch hour, I open the fridge and pile whatever I’ve got onto a few pieces of bread. There’s usually salt and olive oil involved. I believe that those are ingredients that belong on damn near everything.
Remember when I made this simple lunch?
Yea… more things on bread with salt and olive oil.
Dinner and dessert are a different story. Something warm and tender is awesome for dinner. Chocolate is dessert… even if it has black beans in it.
Please just consider this your reminder to keep it simple and flavorful.
Lunch shouldn’t be a stresser. Lunch, however, should have balsamic reduction on it… whenever possible.
Goat Cheese and Edamame Lunch Toasts
Slice a baguette into bite-sized slices. Top generously with soft goat cheese, steamed edamame, olive oil, coarse salt and coarse pepper, and a few drippings of balsamic reduction.
It’s lunch and lunch is good.
Margaret-Jean
Aloha,
Although have checked quite a bit of blogs, you’re the first I am responding to. My question
is what would you recommend for Olive Oil. Though I love idea of cooking with it especially with chicken and lemon to just pour it on salads is difficult for me. Smell and taste of Olive oil if not good does not agree with my taste buds. Can you recommend a good dipping Oil as finishing oil to use.
Aloha
Jessica
I loved this recipe! So simple, yet very clever! I have reproduced it on my (very embryonic) blog. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Jessica (THE CAPTIVE CANAPÉ)
PS. Your food photography is brilliant!
ahu
this looks amazing – simple, elegant and showcases the star ingredient!
Bene
That looks very yummy. I should try that non-stressful simple lunch because I tend to pretty much make another meal for lunch. It’s been a while since I enjoyed a baguette.
tammy
So I gather that the dark spot on your toast is your balsamic reduction. In my own imaginings I thought (for just a second) that it was BACON. Oooh, bacon!!
Morgansmenu
Get out of my head!! Just yesterday (and before I saw your post) my work lunch consisted of Suzie’s Wholegrain Thin Cakes (puffed quinoa, corn and sesame) with cottage cheese and edamame, salt and pepper. (I wished I had olive oil). It was delicious, nonetheless.
Also, can I recommend a book to you: What We Eat When We Are Alone by Deborah Madison.
culinarystorm
SO fresh and gorgeous! I’m thinking it’ll work well with mushed peas as well :)
Jessica @ Hungrygems
Balsamic reduction…sweet, thick and the jewel on the crown of most yummy things.
Anna @ the shady pine
Olive oil and salt resides in just about every meal I have so I am so with you on this one! When it comes to lunch, salad of whatever is in the fridge/pantry is still my favourite but something like this on bread comes a close second.
Erica
Yum! I LOVE edamame! Paired with creamy goat cheese, I bet this one is a winner.
SS {Curries and Cakes}
Now I don’t feel so bad that all my lunches are on toast! Though….edamame beans are much healthier than my grilled cheese today. Next time!
Amielle
All the fun posts about bread and lunches are making me hungry now! That looks absolutely delicious and now I want to go rummage around in my fridge to see what I can toss onto some bread for a lovely meal. :)
Julie Anne Rhodes
Here I was, ready to see what insanely fattening yumminess you’ve gotten up to today, and you surprise me yet again with something HEALTHY and yummy. Off to the store I go…
anna
mmm so beautiful. i love your simple recipes. i love your non simple recipes too come to think of it. you know i just love your blog, full stop.
Sydney
this looks like a totally awesome snack!! Yum!!
Renee
Edamame are wee morsels of magic, no? Next time there is goat cheese in the house, I know exactly what I’m having for lunch. Thanks a bunch!
Nat
Oh my dear Joy, your recipes/throwing of things together are simply wonderful, even just reading your blogs fill those 5 – 10 minutes with sunshine!
I don’t think I’ve ever actually eaten edamame beans on or with anything, I’m not sure whether they’re available as is in UK supermarkets… I have a feeling they’re seen as an “exotic/asian” food or something, maybe I’ll have to have a good look.
Anyway, your posting makes me happy, I’m thinking about starting a recipe blog one of these days, but I always forget how I actually made my food, never mind photographing it all as I go along :/
xxxxxxxxxxx
Jenna
Those look delicious. Plus bread and cheese are always a win.
Stacy @ Say It With Sprinkles
I love edamame! Never thought to put it on toast! =)
Katie
Yum! I’ve never thought to pair edamame with goats cheese, what a great idea!
torviewtoronto
looks wonderful
Kimiko
I agree! Anything involving a balsamic reduction has me convinced. Plus, I love edamame…I could eat those things by the POUND!
Mallory
Speaking of the pretzel dogs, I used just the dough recipe and made salted soft pretzels tonight. They turned out perfectly! Thanks for the inspiration :)
Lauren
These are ridiculously simple but look completely divine. Just like most of your recipes, miss Joy! Excited to meet you on your book tour! Yipee!
Chrissy (My Fare Foodie)
Mmm I’ll take edamame any way I can! Made something similar with fava beans, but those guys are a total pain in the arse. Will def try this version! Simple is always better!
TeenyLittleSuperChef
Yay, what a great appetizer recipe! I can’t wait to try these out for my Super Bowl party this weekend. I love having a bunch of little finger foods for people to nosh on and this one sounds like a winner! Do you toast your bread before putting on all the toppings or do you just leave it soft?
Ann P.
Edamame is God’s gift to mankind. This toasty version sounds so good! I would load mine up with pepper :)
Tina
Looks tasty! I love this type of simple appies.
Paula
That’s what I call a perfect lunch! Thank you!
Living The Sweet Life
sometimes simple is best – – and balsamic reduction, should be on everything… I would bathe in the stuff if possible!!
Sarah-Anne
lunch ALWAYS involves bread.
Mary's Pastry Lab
the avocado lunch is certainly something i’m gonna do in my life forever. simple and healthy. and now what? edamame? that’s one of my most favorite food in the world! thanks for giving this yet another brilliant healthy + simple lunch idea :)
Cookie and Kate
Mega yum, I’ll have to try this. My favorite is avocado on toast, which I recall you posting before. In the summer, I love goat cheese on toast, topped with tomato and then broiled, or goat cheese topped with mashed berries. I’d take toast over a sandwich any day!
Brynnie
These are perfect… I always overbuy on the baguettes (2 is always better than 1, right?), and though eating them fresh baked is of course ideal… I slice up the one me and hubby won’t get to before it stales into rounds and bag up a half of it per ziploc and throw them in the freezer. Makes for very easy access to baguette rounds for a little sandwich just like this (or a quick and easy bruschetta when you have unexpected company and no appies at the ready). Without a trip to the store…yay! I love the little edamame with goat cheese idea – I might add a smattering of toasted pecan or pine nuts. Perfect little lunch sammie. :)
Rocky Mountain Woman
My go to lunch these days is STILL your avocado toast!
Katherine @ eggton
Hi Joy! Do you make your own balsamic reduction? If so, do you add anything to the vinegar? Whenever I do it, the entire house smells like a vinegar factory and I cough and my nose stings. So I’ve taken to buying it at the store–plus, then you can get it infused with figs, etc. So I was just wondering what your approach is.
This looks delicious as always. Have a great weekend!
L
Joy – my avocado toast consumption has really gotten out of hand…thanks for that.
Brian @ A Thought For Food
Totally weird… I just wrote down “edamame” on my shopping list. Then I see your fabulous lunch! Oh, I may have to run out to the store and get some so I can chow down on this!
Gwyn M
Oh Joy, you always seem to put my favorite foods on toast so beautifully and deliciously! Can’t wait to try this – I have been looking for a way to use my Edamame AND Goat Cheese!
Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen
Simple is good! I am recently obsessed with goat cheese. A friend recently gave me a bottle of crema di balsamica that would probably be great on this too.
ileana
I do avocado on toast sometimes for dinner if I’ve had a big lunch, and I’m just not too hungry. This looks like something to try, too! Have you tried this with other beans?
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh
What a delicious looking snack! Perfect after workouts! Yum.
Lauren
This looks soo good and its only 9am. Might have to be my lunch today!
HRCK the Herald
A recipe/ingredient list right up my alley.
Also, did I miss it, or did you give a report on how the beet cake went over? :)
Happy weekend!
Sally @ Spontaneous Hausfrau
I’m loving the big flakes of salt. And the edamame. And the goat cheese. And everything else.
kmarie
this looks wonderful–if you love sprinkling good salt on top and haven’t tried Maldon sea salt, i really recommend it. the salt is flaky and crunchy and amazing. you can find it online at sur la table or williams sonoma for certain, but it’s probably in whole foods and bigger, good food stores.
Jill in Atlanta
I just had a great edamame pesto spread somewhere. Seems like all your ingredients mushed up would be a good spread.
Sara {Home is Where the Cookies Are}
Edamame is a big-time favorite in our house. It’s never even dawned on me to serve it this way. This could please our whole house! I’m such a slacker when it comes to my own lunch. If I have to prep it in any way, I usually won’t even bother. For this, I could bother. . . .
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
So simple and so delicious looking. I have an obscene amount of frozen edamame in my fridge. This speaks to me :)
Heather (Heather's Dish)
the goat cheese makes all the difference in the world – all that flavor makes something so simple taste amazing!
Lauren at Keep It Sweet
I love this for lunch but I also love this for super bowl!
leaf (the indolent cook)
Easy AND awesome!
Elma
What an excellent idea! Now I’m hungry….
Gary
I usually have one of two things for lunch: poached egg and baked beans on toast, or pasta and red pesto with mounds of cheddar.
thelittleloaf
Anything on toast for lunch is my idea of heaven. Avocado and chilli is one of my favourites, and goats cheese and courgette is another. I hadn’t thought of using steamed edamame though – what a gorgeous idea.
Kathryn
Yes! This is exactly the kind of lunch I like to have when I’m at home.
Jessica
Such a great idea for my bento box lunches! Also edamame is very easy to get here in Japan, so unlike many recipes I find online, this one is easy enough for me (:
Thank you!
http://www.wakemeupwithasmile.wordpress.com
Heidi @ foodiecrush
My non stresser lunch is usually on a piece of crusty bread with kalamata olive spread and a schmear of goat cheese. I can see edamame subbing right in.
Hannah @ Sparrow + Spark!
This looks so delicious, great idea. Stuff piled onto fresh bread is the best!
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga
I eat edamame a few times a week, sometimes practically every day. This is a fun and EASY way to just soak up the edamame flavor…and the cheese flavor :)
Lynne @ 365 Days of Baking
Yes, lunch shouldn’t be a stresser, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stood in front of the fridge trying to decide what to have for lunch.
This would be wonderful! I just need to go get me those ingredients.
Corrie
I LOVE edamame, and I’m interested in trying it with goat cheese. This is a great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Julie
Love edamame – never thought of smooshing it on my bread! And with goat cheese-yum. Now a thin square of dark chocolate on a chunk of warm baguette.. that’s another addiction altogether…
Becca @ Cook, Rejoice, Repeat
Ooh, yum! I dearly love edamame, and paired with goat cheese on warm toast … mmm, I can’t wait! Thanks muchly!
Jenny
What a simple and delicious snack!