Eating Healthier in Today's World

Super Sprouts Save the Day!!!

What is Sprouting?

Sprouting is the process of germinating seeds, beans and grains and eating them raw or cooked.  They can be added to salads, stews or soups.  They can also be used as the primary protein in veggie burgers, meatloafs and veggie rolls.  Many people dry 'minimaly' sprouted grains and then grind them into a flour to be used in baking.

Why Sprout?

Sprouts are a living, enzyme-rich food, natural and low in calories. Their vitamin A content will usually double, various B group vitamins will be 5 - 10 times higher, and vitamin C will increase by a similar order. Their protein content becomes easily digestible, and rich new nutrients such as enzymes and phytochemicals are created. They contain significant amounts of bio-available calcium, iron and zinc. When a dormant seed sprouts, its starch is converted into simple sugars, and long chain proteins are split into smaller, easily-digestible molecules. Sprouted beans and seeds are like a pre-digested food.  Sprouting increases the amino acids in legumes. Amino acids are protein, and pound for pound some sprouted legumes can offer the same protein content as chicken!

According to sproutpeople.org:  Once a seed has soaked up it's fill of water, it is Alive! It is now a nutritional phenomenon, with its own enzymes- it will take nothing but will only add to your body. We are used to sprouts having tails, but they don't have to. You can eat any soaked seed and know that you are giving your body an amazing nutritional gift.

What to Sprout?

When most of us consider sprouts, we think of the flavourless little alfalfa or clover leafy sprouts that you purchase in a clamshell package, and use on a sandwich or as garnish on a veggie burger.  But sprouts can be so much more delicious than that.  Leafy sprouts from seeds like brocolli, garlic, radish, dill and other herbs pack a nutritional and tasty punch

The types of grains, seeds and legumes you can sprout are endless...for eg, Alfalfa, Barley, Chick peas, Millet, Mung bean, Pumpkin, Radish, Rice, Sesame, Soybean, Sunflower, Wheat, Ancient Grains like Quinoa are just a few.  Only a couple of tablespoons are needed to make a small amount of grains...experiment and see what works for you! 

Raw nuts can also be sprouted but are fairly tricky, the only nuts I have had success with were almonds and I did not enjoy their taste in the raw form.  I did add them to a nutloaf and did not notice any difference to the taste of my regular recipe.

When sprouting seeds, ensure that they are untreated seeds (in other words don't use seeds designed for planting).

How to Sprout

Sprouting may seem intimidating or overwhelming, but infact it is a very simple process.  Equipment can be as basic (think mason jar with a screen lid) or as fancy as your budget will allow.  A few minutes of commitment each day and you can have an abundent little garden growing in your very own kitchen.

 We use the Victorio 4 Tray Sprouter.  The 6" trays allow us to make a variety of sprouts without taking up too much valuable counter space in the kitchen.

Sprouting is a very basic technique.  Pour seeds, grains or legumes into your container, wash thoroughly and remove any debris (foriegn looking objects), cover with water (add an extra 1" of water on top), soak overnight.  In the morning, drain the container using a colander, seive or mesh placed at the top of the container.  Rinse thoroughly and leave to drain.  If you are using a jar, it is important to angle it (preferably in the dish drainer over the sink) so that any excess water can run out and also to allow air to move through the sprouts.  Continue to rinse and drain twice a day until desired sprout size is achieved.  Minimal sprouting is usually obtained within the first 24 hours (this is optimum for those wishing to dehydrate and grind sprouts into flour).  After 2 days, sprouts are perfect for adding to soups, stews, casseroles, meatless burgers or nutloaves. for leafy sprouts leave for a couple more days.

After 4 or 5 days, place the sprouts in a sunny spot, this will allow the leaves to turn green (development of chlorophyll).  Place in refrigerator and use within a couple of days.

Eating Sprouts

Some raw foodies may disagree, but it is widely claimed that sprouted grains and legumes should be cooked before eating.  I lightly steam my sprouted grains and beans when adding them to salads, or I add them to soups or stews in the finaly few minutes of cooking.  This light cooking makes the sprouts even easier to digest and removes any final traces of inhibitors that may be inplace to prevent animals from eating young sprouts in nature.  Leafy sprouts from seed can be eaten raw in salads and sandwiches, or used to garnish burgers.

Sprouted Chickpea Hummus (Recipe from Sparkpeople.com)

1 1/2 cups of sprouted garbanzo beans (I cup of dried beans)
1/2 cup lemon juice (approx. juice of 2 lemons)
1 cup water (more can be added for smoother hummus)
4 cloves of garlic (more if you love extra garlic taste)
2 T tahini
2 T unsalted Sunflower seeds
1/4 t Cumin
1/4 t Paprika
1 t salt 

To sprout the garbanzo beans, soak 1 cup of dried beans for 24 hours.  Drain, rinse and place in sprouter, rinsing and draining twice a day for 2 - 3 days or until the beans have 1/2 inch sprouts. Rinse and drain once more.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil (4 to 6 cups).  Remove from heat and after 1 minute add the sprouted beans for 1 minute (do not skip this step).  Drain.  Add all the ingredients to your food processor or blender and process for 3 to 5 minutes until desired consistency is achieved.  For smoother hummus, add more water.
Pour into serving bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with sliced olives and sprinkled paprika.  Serve with pita, crackers or veggie slices.
Serves 8