According to Living on Live Food by Alissa Cohen, sprouting beans or grain "greatly increases the nutritional value of these foods and makes them far more digestible because their protein is broken down into amino acids, their starches are changed into simple sugars, and their fats are converted into soluble fatty acids." Sprouting also activates dormant enzymes in the food, which helps your body to digest them.
You can buy bean sprouts at any grocery store. But it's possible to sprout all kinds of things at home -- larger beans, chickpeas, quinoa, millet, lentils, seeds, almonds... basically, if you could plant it in the ground and expect it to grow, you can sprout it and eat it.
For my first attempt, I sprouted some green lentils. The process is simple: Soak the lentils (or seeds, or beans) in a bowl with water overnight. Then drain the water and spread your things-to-be-sprouted on a plate or cookie sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel. Rise and drain 2-3 times a day until you see green shoots. My lentils took 2 days to sprout; some things take longer, some are faster.
The sprouts were great on their own, and they added a yummy crunch to the recipe below, which I've named "Cali-oa" (pronounced Cali-wah).
1/2 cup sprouted green lentils
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and cooked
1 avocado
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Mix ingredients together and serve as a dip with flax seed crackers, or on it's own as a salad.
1 comment:
Yah! The sprouted stuff is cool to watch. It's like a Chia Pet you can eat!
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