Edamame Nachos can be Kosher for Passover (or...not)!

I intended to update practically every day this week to chronicle how I was getting through Passover without succumbing to the all-too-common cake-and-matzah diet. I have had several peers express intrigue over my keeping Passover: "Oh, wow! That must be a great detox" because, you know, you're not supposed to eat wheat, barley, oats, rye, and a whole bunch of other things. You tell this to a group of health-conscious Nutrition majors and they hear, "you can't eat refined carbs! No dessert, no bagels, none of that stuff - excellent!" But this, of course, is not the case. Jews would not tolerate a holiday that involved a full week of such deprivation, so we have instead created matzah-derived flours and other such baking mediums. Therefore, the only thing we wind up not being at a loss for is kosher cakes and brownies - I cannot tell you how many servings of flourless chocolate cakes, brownies, apple cake, sponge cake, and other various confections I have consumed over the past week, and that's while making it a point to cut back on the usual Passover dessert consumption. It's just easier to eat a piece of flourless chocolate cake for breakfast than try to fill yourself up on fruit and yogurt, and it certainly takes up less prep time than eggs. You see how easy it is to justify horrendous eating habits during Passover?

However, the end of the academic semester threw a knife into my plans for diligent updates regarding my more laudable (and perhaps somewhat pretentious) approach to Passover. Trying to study for 4 advanced science exams at the same time, in case you didn't know, is unquestionably impossible - not to mention the other end-of-year responsibilities falling down on Us Collegians this time of year. So, forgive me. I hope everyone had a fantastic Passover and Easter, and that I'm not the only one enjoying a sudden and dramatic climatic shift into Summer (finally)! 

So, without further adieu, I bring to you the Passover-Friendly Edamame Nachos, which is a wonderful way to mask matzah (or, since tonight ushers in the chametz-eating period again, a perfect way to enhance a tortilla chip!) and get some nice protein in while you're at it. I'm always looking for fun, healthier ways of enjoying what is, essentially, bar food, and I think it's safe to say that this is a very tasty alternative to what would normally be a very heavy appetizer drenched in a whole lot of flavor, but not enough nutrients to meet my criteria for an actual dinner recipe. It comes together in practically negative seconds, and has this beautiful blend of sweet and savory, creamy and crunchy. I think using some sort of smoky spice (smoked paprika, curry powder, etc.) and a touch of sea salt to the finished product would take this dish to a whole new level (these additions are reflected in the recipe below), perfect for your next I-need-a-quick-dinner situation or sports-viewing party alike.

1 piece of matzah, broken into chip-size pieces, or a handful of tortilla chips

kosher/sea salt, to taste