Whats Sprouting all about ?
“Sprouting” seems to have lept into my life since my last recipe post to all you lovelies. As I mentioned last week I was re-reading the book “Eat Yourself Young” by Elizabeth Peyton-Jones which touched on how sprouting has so many wonderful health and anti-ageing benefits, so I thought I would look into this a bit further. I set forth into my first sprouting experiment and I have to say that I was so surprised when my aduki beans rose to the occassion and grew into a big bowl of deliciousness, who knew it was that easy.
I threw my now sprouted aduki beans into the Goodness Bowl recipe I posted to you lovelies last week and I had my fingers firmly crossed that it wouldn’t get rejected by my family that evening for dinner. I was shocked to see they all wolfed it down, sprouts included without so much as a curl of the lip or a quizzical glance a me. Mega result ?? as far as I am concerned as feeding everyone the same meal (and a “on stop pot” at that!!) is nothing short of a miracle in my house as all to often I seem to do three versions of dinner… does that sound familiar ? At the end of the day we are all looking for ways to add in nutrient-dense whole food goodness into our and our loved ones diets with ease and the minimum of faf and sprouting is a great way to achieve that.
A LITTLE BIT OF SPROUTING KNOW-HOW
- First things first, sprouts are super easy to grow and they require next to no equipment (so no massive expenses here ladies thats a promise).
- Sprouted grains, nuts and seeds come packed with health benefits. The sprouting process increases the Vitamin D and Vitamin C content of these little nutrient dymanos not forgetting of course that they are a great source of fibre too.
- On a more personal note the sprouting breaks down some of the anti-nutrients and this may help with the usual gripe that “no one wants to eat them because it makes them fart” (there I said it the F word has been mentioned..!) but sprouting makes it easier for our guts to digest them so say good bye to gas.
- If you are still in any doubt about the value of sprouting how about a bit of history…. it was traditionally thought that the Chinese were the first to do this centuries ago as they would travel with dried Mung Beans on long ocean voyages and sprout them as they went along. They had learned that by eating the fresh sprouts it gave them the added Vitamin C to ward off getting Scurvy. I know that things have progressed a bit with our diets and we don’t need to be saved from Scurvy generally speaking but my point is that it is not a new age hippy thing to do. Sprouting has been around for hundreds of years so it has had some pretty rigorous testing and has stood the test of time.
- And, if none of that tickles your taste buds at least they look fun to eat.
As half term is coming up we are going to grow a few types so we can watch whats going on, how about giving it a go too. Before you shrug the idea off, I know what you are thinking… and you can ditch the thought of soggy bits of paper towel in an old raspberry ripple ice cream carton with a plastic bag for a greenhouse tied on the top, Blue Peter style ! It is way easier than that, honest, all you need is a wide mouthed jar, some dried beans, a piece of breathable cloth and an elastic band. Job done. If you have kids around, getting them involved may encourage them to enjoy eating what they have grown, for their dinner. So anyone up for starting your own sprouting experiment ?
Let me know how you get on by adding a comment at the bottom (which is now working, yay) and add in some pictures too as I would love to see how you get on. Happy weekend, lovelies xo
A recipe just for you
Sprouting
Measure out your beans and pop them into a clean glass jar. The exact amounts will depend on your sizes of jar and what you have to hand, there is no need to be too specific just don't over fill them as remember they will expand when soaked and again when they start to shoot.
Rinse the beans thoroughly then cover them with water and leave them to soak. The soaking times may vary for each legume, grain and seed so check in my links below for further soaking and rinsing guidelines.
Then cover the jars with your cloth and hold in place with an elastic band. (I have a supply of these which I make out of old dish cloths).
This is how my chickpeas are doing after 24 hrs !
Once they have got to a length you would like, then give them a good rinse and pat them dry and store them in the fridge for a few days or pop them in a plastic bag or jar and keep them in the freezer until you want to use them. Just add in a handful of sprouted beans straight from the freezer into you cooking soups and stews, its really that easy.
Sprouting increases the vitamin B and C content of the beans and well as being loaded with fibre.
Sprouts are super easy to grow with minimum space.
The action of sprouting legumes, grains and seeds makes them easier for our guts to digest by breaking down the anti-nutrients that can cause gas and bloating.
N.B. There has been mention of salmonella and e.coli from sprouting but that is usually the case when you are buying sprouts from a shop where they may have been sitting in warm humid conditions not to mention the fact that they have been produced on a massive scale where the environment may not be free from pathogens. The chances of you getting a food-borne illness from spouts is greatly reduced by you doing this at home yourself using clean jars, leaving them out at a suitable temperature, washing them in clean water and washing your hands when handling them. For more info about sprouting click on some of the links I have added in below for you.
If you are still in any doubt then you can always cook them throughly by adding them in to stews, soups and stir fries just to be on the safe side. I have tried both cooked and raw and they are all delicious.
N.B. There are certain beans to avoid for example kidney beans when sprouted from raw contain a toxin what may cause nausea and vomiting in some, quinoa which contains saponins which can cause an allergic reaction.
Did you know that chickens love sprouts so they can be a real bonus to your furry friends in the winter when there is less vegetation for them to pick their way through.
Ingredients
Directions
Measure out your beans and pop them into a clean glass jar. The exact amounts will depend on your sizes of jar and what you have to hand, there is no need to be too specific just don't over fill them as remember they will expand when soaked and again when they start to shoot.
Rinse the beans thoroughly then cover them with water and leave them to soak. The soaking times may vary for each legume, grain and seed so check in my links below for further soaking and rinsing guidelines.
Then cover the jars with your cloth and hold in place with an elastic band. (I have a supply of these which I make out of old dish cloths).
This is how my chickpeas are doing after 24 hrs !
Once they have got to a length you would like, then give them a good rinse and pat them dry and store them in the fridge for a few days or pop them in a plastic bag or jar and keep them in the freezer until you want to use them. Just add in a handful of sprouted beans straight from the freezer into you cooking soups and stews, its really that easy.
Sprouting increases the vitamin B and C content of the beans and well as being loaded with fibre.
Sprouts are super easy to grow with minimum space.
The action of sprouting legumes, grains and seeds makes them easier for our guts to digest by breaking down the anti-nutrients that can cause gas and bloating.
N.B. There has been mention of salmonella and e.coli from sprouting but that is usually the case when you are buying sprouts from a shop where they may have been sitting in warm humid conditions not to mention the fact that they have been produced on a massive scale where the environment may not be free from pathogens. The chances of you getting a food-borne illness from spouts is greatly reduced by you doing this at home yourself using clean jars, leaving them out at a suitable temperature, washing them in clean water and washing your hands when handling them. For more info about sprouting click on some of the links I have added in below for you.
If you are still in any doubt then you can always cook them throughly by adding them in to stews, soups and stir fries just to be on the safe side. I have tried both cooked and raw and they are all delicious.
N.B. There are certain beans to avoid for example kidney beans when sprouted from raw contain a toxin what may cause nausea and vomiting in some, quinoa which contains saponins which can cause an allergic reaction.
Did you know that chickens love sprouts so they can be a real bonus to your furry friends in the winter when there is less vegetation for them to pick their way through.
taking care of your body
isn’t Vanity
it’s Sanity
katrina mayer
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