HOW TO USE SPROUTED SEEDS – 5 IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED!
Often, our first thoughts of sprouted seeds in food come from childhood memories of egg and cress sandwiches on summer picnics. Then as adults, many of us eat ‘bean sprouts’ in stir-fries with noodles. These are the older brothers and sisters of the young sprouted mung bean. Seeds that have begun to sprout are just at that critical point of growth where they are producing high levels of nutrients such as Chlorophyll, Vitamin C, Folic Acid, Phosphorous, Magnesium and Potassium. This makes them a useful addition to the diet.
Seeds that germinate quickly, and are therefore great for beginners, are alfalfa, lentil and mung bean. Use organic beans, lentils and seeds whenever possible and rinse your sprouts twice a day in fresh, cold water.
Sprouted seeds can be added raw to salads, sandwiches and sprinkled onto soups or noodles. The larger sprouted seeds such as chickpea, aduki and snow pea, can be stir-fried quickly towards the end of cooking.
So, why not get germinating now! Here are some recipes to get you started…
This is great for those who want the goodness of wheat grass but don’t like the taste. The main flavours here are cucumber and apple. Pea shoots are mild and sweet, and Alfalfa sprouts have a very fresh lettuce-like tatse which combines with the other flavours perfectly.
The wheatgrass refresher is packed full of Vitamins, including A, C, B vitamins, E, K as well as minerals like Calcium, Iron, Chlorophyll, Magnesium, Amino Acids, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc and Lecithin. The added apple not only gives a subtle sweetness through the cool cucumber flavour but it provides fibre and energy too.
Alfalfa - Crunchy Vegetable and Alfalfa Sprout Wraps (via spryliving.com)
This colourful wrap is packed with raw veggies and alfalfa sprouts. Alfalfa sprouts have a fresh and crunchy flavour, a bit like that of lettuce and can be used in a similar manner to cress.
Chickpeas - Raw "Cheesy" Kale and Sprouted Chickpea Salad (via glutenfreecat.com)
Chickpeas are the staple of lots of every day dishes like hummus or falafels. But do you know you can sprout them? Sprouting unlocks more nutrients and also enriches the flavour! Stock up on your sprout-able chickpeas here!
Sprouted Mung Bean and Pomegranate Chaat (via theurbankitchen.co.uk)
This delicious Indian salad has a tantalising mix of wonderful sweet and savoury flavours. Full of nutrition and colour! Mung beans are one of the easiest things you can learn to sprout. Buy yours here!
Sprouted Quinoa Black Bean Burgers with Pineapple Salsa (via ohmyveggies.com)
Quinoa is one of the fastest sprouting grains, and this burger is robust, filling and tastes absolutely wonderful. Check out our quinoa range at Healthy Supplies.
Everything you need to get sprouting! From jars to beans we have it all. We have also written a helpful how to article to get you started, you can explore this here!