Recipe – Sprouted Sunflower Seed Pate

Soak 3 cups sunflower seeds 12 to 24 hours. Make sure they are sprouted. When they are sprouted, they will look like the open beak of a bird. When sprouted, blend with

1 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos

Blend in a blender by continually pushing the mixture down into the middle of the blender. Continue to process until well blended and smooth. You may top the pate¢ with fresh parsley. Use as a bread or cracker spread or as desired. Other ingredients may be used to add variety to the flavor such as onion, tahini, cilantro, cayenne, and other herbs of choice. The possibilities are endless.

Food For Life – Sprouting and Health

The sprouting of seeds, beans, grains, or nuts has been used as early as 3,000 b.c. in China. It has received various periods of use, growth, popularity, and disfavor.

There are many reasons why one should sprout. Sprouts are inexpensive and easy to grow. They require only a small amount of space and inexpensive “equipment.” They are an edible plant food that can be grown indoors in any climate. Unlike fruits and vegetables, which take 50 to 130 days to mature and be ready to eat, sprouts are ready to eat within a few days. They also afford the consumer one of the most concentrated but truly natural sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and protein.

All raw, unsprouted seeds, beans, grains, and nuts are biogenic-alive and capable of transferring their life energy to your body. When you eat sprouts, you are eating a tiny, easy-to-digest plant that is at its peak of nutritional value. The seed releases all of its stored nutrients in a burst of energy, as it attempts to become a full size plant. You then receive this energy and the nutrients when you eat the sprouts.

Several methods can be used to begin home sprouting—jars, sprout bags, trays, or an automatic sprouter. Regardless of how you grow your sprouts, there are four basics steps: the initial soaking and draining of the seeds, rinsing and caring of the growing seeds, harvesting of the seed, and using the seed as food.

To start sprouting, use the jar method, as it is the simplest and most reliable method. A wide-mouth, glass, half-gallon jar is best. In addition to the jar, you will need a lid ring or rubber bands and cheesecloth or nylon mesh to cover the jar opening yet allow air to circulate within the jar. Measure the appropriate amount of seeds into the jar, cover the jar with cheesecloth, and then fill it halfway with water. Allow the seed to soak for the required time and then invert it at a 45-degree angle, with the jar opening down. Once drained, rinse the sprouts in running tap water until the bottle overflows. This removes the waste products created by the seeds. Drain the seeds again, and then return the jar to its upright position and continue sprouting. Most seeds should be rinsed twice daily. Sprouts need to be rinsed more frequently in warm weather and will sprout quicker.

Food For Life – Sprouting and Health Pt II

When it is time to harvest and use your sprouts, a little time and care will increase your eating pleasure. Adzuki, alfalfa, cabbage, clover, fenugreek, mung, and radish taste better with their hulls removed. The sprouts can be put into a sink filled halfway with cool water, then agitated gently with your fingers to remove the hulls, which will either fall to the bottom of the sink or begin to float. Push the floating hulls to one corner of the sink, and then gently remove the sprouts, being careful to not stir up the hulls on the bottom of the sink. The harvested sprouts can be transferred to a covered clean glass jar or placed in a sealable plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator. The sprouts will continue to grow slowly in the refrigerator until use.

Although this is an easy process, sometimes things can go wrong. The most common problem is spoilage. Contributing to spoilage may be one of the following factors: bad or cracked seeds, inconsistent rinsing—remember this removes the seeds’ waste, too much heat, and inadequate ventilation. So be sure to inspect your seeds for cracked seed, rinse on a regular basis, monitor the temperature and rinse more often if needed, and, lastly, use a fan to circulate the air. One other thing that can affect the enjoyment of your sprouts is poor texture or a bitter taste. This can be avoided by following the sprouting chart* carefully—do not over soak and do not grow the sprouts too long.

Sprouts can be used in salads; on bread; in bread recipes, dried breads, and crackers; blended to make spreads or juice; in loafs and dressings; in milks, cereals, and soups. Begin your sprouting journey and see where it takes you. Enjoy better health as you add sprouts into your diet.

*For a copy of the sprouting chart, e-mail your request to: historic@stepstolife.org, or refer to The Sprouting Book, by Ann Wigmore, Avery Publishing Group Inc., Wayne, New Jersey, 1986.

Recipe – Triple Sprout Salad

 

TRIPLE SPROUT SALAD  
1 cup crunchy bean sprouts, such as lentils, green    peas, and adzuki beans ¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 cup mung bean sprouts ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
4 green onions, white and green parts chopped 1 cup alfalfa sprouts
½ cup sliced grape tomatoes 4 cups watercress
½ cup chopped orange bell peppers  
Toss together crunchy sprouts, mung bean sprouts, green onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, cilantro, and sesame seeds in large bowl. Add dressing of 2 Tbsp. lime juice, 2 tsp. sesame oil and 1 tspn white miso, and toss to coat. Separate alfalfa sprouts with your fingers, and stir into salad mixture. Serve on bed of watercress.  

 

Food – No Dirt Required

Throughout the world there are seasons when fresh greens from the garden or market may not be available. Most of us in North America depend on fresh produce that is transported across half a continent. Though we may garden in the summer, winter stops all but the most dedicated, or most southern, gardeners. But there is one way to get a little homegrown veggie goodness in a matter of days: sprouts! The crisp, curly, sometimes leafy tendrils are a cinch to grow on the kitchen counter.

Home sprouting can supply delicious fresh food, without the environmental drawbacks of the Mega-farm produced fresh produce, and at a fraction of the cost. Sprouting at home takes only a few seconds a day and can produce a good part of your daily requirements of the nutrients you need from fresh produce. The hassles are minor, the costs are low, and the freshness is wonderful. If you can supply a jar, some screen or netting, and rinse the sprouts twice a day, you can grow delicious organic sprouts in four to six days.

Sprouts are very inexpensive (even when organic), always fresh (they grow until you chew them) and have the potential to help solve hunger and malnutrition problems in our communities and in developing countries, because they are so rich in nutrients, affordable, and easy to transport before sprouting. Sprouts are precious in winter, when the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables is declining as their price increases. In addition to providing the greatest amount of nutrients, sprouts deliver them in a form that is easily digested and assimilated.

Many seeds can be sprouted, but some sprouts cannot be eaten raw. The most commonly sprouted seeds include:

  • Pulses (pea family):alfalfa, fenugreek, mung bean, lentil, pea, chickpea, soybean
  • Cereals: wheat, maize (corn), rice, barley, rye, kamut and then quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat (these last three are used as cereal even if botanically they are not)
  • Oilseeds: sesame, sunflower, almond, hazelnut, linseed
  • Vegetables and herbs:broccoli, carrot, spinach, cabbage, celery, fennel, onion, parsley, radish, turnip, leek, watercress, mustard, rocket (arugula), lemon grass, lettuce, clover, mizuna (Japanese mustard), milk thistle

Sprouting 1–2–3

What you’ll need:

  • organic sprout seeds or beans
  • 1–quart canning jar
  • cheesecloth or screen
  • rubber band
  • water

Place seeds or beans in bottom of jar, filling no more than one-quarter full. Cover with water, and let stand five hours or overnight, depending on type of seed.

Drain water from seeds or beans and rinse. Cover top of jar with cheesecloth or screen secured with a rubber band. Set in a warm spot that gets indirect sunlight.

Pour cool water through the cheesecloth or screen to rinse seeds or beans twice a day. Drain off excess water through cheesecloth—the seeds or beans will begin to sprout in three to five days. Once they’ve sprouted, store in the refrigerator for up to one week.