If a tossed salad bores you and you just don’t consider macaroni salad to be a real salad, the alternative could be a salad made with soybeans, or edamame.

"I just had the lunch buffet at 3660 on the Rise," Ann Loo wrote. "They had a fabulous chilled edamame salad. The chef said it had bacon, celery, mayo, cider vinegar in it. Everyone thought it was fabulous."

The 3660 salad is a lot like potato or macaroni salad in the dressing, but with vegetables and the fiber/protein boost of soybeans. It’s simple to prepare, using frozen, shelled soybeans and a basic dressing of mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar.

But before you start tossing, a few words about edamame.

If you’ve only had soybeans in a Japanese restaurant, served in the pod, you probably think it’s too much trouble for day-to-day eating. But when it comes to snack food, edamame is quite handy and much better for you than potato chips.

Preparing it in the pod can be as simple as boiling, then sprinkling with salt. Or you can get ambitious and toss them in a skillet with anything from butter to garlic to chili peppers. Or all those things.

But for real simplicity, consider the frozen shelled beans, sold in bags in most supermarkets. If they’re not in your neighborhood store, try an Asian market. All you have to do is thaw and eat. Add salt (garlic salt is really good, too) if you want, or just eat by the handful.

Sprinkle edamame on salads or in soups as an alternative to beans.

3660 on the Rise Edamame Salad

2-1/2 pounds shelled edamame, thawed if frozen
2 small stalks celery, diced
4 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese
1/2 cup bacon bits
» Dressing:
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Combine edamame, celery and lettuce; toss.

Combine dressing ingredients; whisk until well combined. Toss with vegetables. Top with cheese and bacon bits. Serves 6.