Instructions: Soon, all thats left is a pile of green fuzzy husks. And the realization that youve eaten all the nutty, sweet beans that were inside.

No need to feel guilty. Edamame, served as an appetizer at many Japanese restaurants, are a kind of soybean, and stories about the health benefits of soy crop up as regularly as rush hour.

Addictive as a snack, edamame (eh-duh-MAH-may) pods pop open when squeezed, releasing two or three firm, bright green beans that have a crunchy texture.

Edamame means branch bean in Japanese. The name refers to the fact that they were traditionally sold still hanging on their stems. In Mandarin, the beans are called mao dou, which means fuzzy bean. Sometimes, theyre called green vegetable soybeans to distinguish them from the yellow or black beans that are used in processed form.

Theyre easy to find and prepare. Frozen edamame, typically sold in one-pound bags, are available in Chinese or Japanese grocery stores, at Trader Joes, Whole Foods and some other supermarkets, usually for less than $2. If you have a choice of brands, go for the greenest pods. Shelled beans are also available for about the same price. And in the summer, fresh edamame can sometimes be found at farmers markets.

The traditional - and basic - way to cook edamame involves boiling. For one pound of edamame (shelled or unshelled, frozen or fresh) boil 3 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons of salt. Add edamame, wait for the water to boil again and cook 3-5 minutes. Thats it.

In Japan, people often eat edamame when drinking beer - much the way we might snack on peanuts. You can dress them up with a few drops of sesame oil or balsamic vinegar. Warm, a bowl of pods makes an unusual appetizer. Cold, theyre an easy picnic food.

Most soybeans - the ones that go into miso, tofu, soy milk and other products - are small, are picked when fully mature and contain a digestion-inhibiting chemical. The long fermentation or cooking required to produce many soy products destroys that inhibiting chemical so the soy protein becomes available for absorption.

But the varieties of beans used for edamame are chemically different. They are nutritious and digestible with minimal cooking. They tend to be larger and are picked when young and tender.

Young or old, fresh or processed, soybeans are high in protein. They are the only bean that contains all the amino acids required for human nutrition. The Food and Drug Administration has recognized that eating soy protein can lower the risk of heart disease. Soybeans are high in calcium, iron, vitamins A and B, potassium and magnesium. And they have no cholesterol.

All those health reports may be on to something.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.