Anytime you can blitz together a few ingredients in a flash for a tasty and healthful snack, appetizer or light lunch that keeps for days, that’s a huge win.

And that’s exactly what “Edamame Herb Hummus” is.

Purists may scoff at the traditional chickpeas swapped out for those little green immature soybeans typically nibbled out of the pod at Japanese restaurants. But edamame are actually higher in protein, Vitamin C, calcium, and potassium than garbanzos, making them an alternative to be embraced heartily.

This super easy recipe is from the cookbook, “The Vegan Week” (Ten Speed Press, 2022), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by New York City-based Gena Hamshaw, a registered dietician nutritionist who created the vegan recipe blog, The Full Helping.

Whether you’re a strict vegan or someone looking to add more plant-based meals to your repertoire, you’ll find inspired and straightforward recipes such as “Chickpea Walnut Taco Meat,” “Seitan Goulash,” “Broccoli Tahini Pesto Pasta” (made with nutritional yeast instead of parmesan), and “Dark Chocolate Oat Scones” (made with vegan butter and vegan dark chocolate). Best yet, they’re all designed to be made ahead to enjoy throughout the week or much later if frozen.

Grab a bag of frozen, shelled edamame and boil briefly, according to package instructions. Drain the edamame and add to a food processor bowl with water, tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, and salt, and blitz until creamy. Add fresh herbs of you choice, and process again.

With the color of mint chip ice cream, this light green hummus is creamy, thick, and slightly chunky. It’s less heavy tasting than chickpea hummus. Indeed, it has more of a garden-fresh taste, owing to the herbs, which in my case were chives and parsley.

This hummus is perfect with crudites, smeared on grilled bread or inside a pita, or scooped up with crackers.

The latter is what I did when I received some handy samples of Botko Grain-Free crackers, which, like this hummus, are also vegan. Moreover, they are gluten-free, and made instead with almond, flaxseed and coconut flours, plus extra-virgin olive oil.

Plenty crunchy, these small square-shaped crackers are like Wheat Thins — but without wheat.

They come in three varieties: Sea Salt, Rosemary, and Black Sesame. All three are plenty satisfying tasting, with the seasonings on the subtle side so they don’t overpower. I especially appreciated that they didn’t taste overly salty, either. The Black Sesame went especially well with the edamame hummus. The Rosemary would be ideal with any cheese, and the Sea Salt is like a blank canvas to do up however way you like.

A serving of 16 crackers is 150 calories with 240mg sodium, 9g total fat, 4g dietary fiber, 3g protein, and zero cholesterol.

A 4.5-ounce box is $6.50, and is available at Amazon, Safeway, and Walmart.

Edamame Herb Hummus

(Makes 4 servings or 1 1/3 cups)

1 1/3 cups frozen shelled edamame

6 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons tahini

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 clove garlic, peeled

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup lightly packed fresh dill, chives, parsley leaves, basil leaves or cilantro

Cook the edamame according to package directions. While the edamame is still warm, place it, along with the water, tahini, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, and salt in a food processor fitted with the S blade. Process for 2 or 3 minutes, stopping the machine and scraping down the bowl a few times. The hummus will have some creaminess, but it will be more textured than traditional hummus.

Add the herbs to the processor and pulse repeatedly, until they’re finely chopped and incorporated into the hummus.

Serve right away, or meal prep for the week by transferring the hummus to a single airtight container or portioning it into individual containers. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 weeks.

From “The Vegan Week” by Gena Hamshaw

More Dipping Deliciousness: 5-Minute Hummus (With Ground Chicken and Tomatoes)

And: Georgian Beet and Walnut Spread

And: Gabriel Camara’s Guacamole

And: Hummus with White Miso

And: Roasted Carrot Dip

And: Sardine Rillettes

And: Yogurt and Spinach Dip In the Persian Manner