Ok so I’m very new to Sprouting, like today new and I’m not sure why I have never tried it before. But after a recent Plant based Food festival trip and trying sprouted Lentils and Quinoa , I figured it was time to try it . After all I do it in my Garden all the time , why not try it in my kitchen ?
So having read a billion articles online about how best to sprout. Off I went , Lentils were the legume of choice.
I have to admit I wasn’t sold that it would work. How could something that’s been dormant so long actually begin to “live”. But I’m pleased to admit I was completely wrong (and this is probably the first time in my life I’ll ever admit that… so shh).
So I started off with 3/4 Cup of Green Lentils in large jar and soaked them over night.
Next day I popped a coffee filter over the jar and drained the water out. Put fresh water in and gave every thing a good shake to rinse them. Drained this out also. I read it’s best to rinse them 2-3 times a day so I followed this process a few more times during the day , just a good rinse and strained through a coffee filter.
The next day I was greeted by this:
My little babies were growing already !!! I was so proud. This followed another day of rinsing a few times and by the evening they had all sprouted !!
Have to admit I was feeling pretty full of myself by this point. And also a little annoyed that it had taken me so long to give this a try !
The benefits from sprouting things like grains and seeds include making them easier to digest , increasing more absorbable B vitamin contents on certain seeds and it also makes them more alkalizing to the body which we now know is oh so important.
One last note , that the Sprouts should be left out to dry at least 8hrs after your last rinse before popping in the fridge. I’d advise you use these up quickly as I’d assume they will spoil fast.
So now that I had created my little sprouted babies , what should I do with them?
Well I was definetly wanting to keep it in with the Raw theme , I decided Salad was the way to rock with this one.
Plus it turned out pretty !
Recipe :
Sprouted Lentils (or seed or grain of choice )
1 Carrot , grated
1 Beetroot , grated
1 Cup of Peas , defrosted or fresh
4 Tangerines (two juiced , two sliced )
1tsp Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp grated Fresh Ginger
Salt and Pepper.
Sunflower seeds (optional )
This one really is just a matter of assembly. Give all of the veggies and Lentils a toss together.
Then add the Maple Syrup to the Tangerine juice and stir in the Ginger , Salt and Pepper. Dress the Salad and topped with slices of Tangerine. Add the sunflower seeds last to stop them getting soggy.
Enjoy !
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