What's cookin'? Sprouts!!

 Doesn't that look yummy?

When I got back from PEI I went on a 10 day cleanse. By the time I was done Michael was home too (he stayed out east a little longer than me.) We decided we wanted to turn over a new leaf in our eating habits. We try not to eat anything processed and our emphasis is on fresh fruit and veggies along with lots of dried legumes: lentils, all kinds of beans, split peas and whole grains: barley, artisan breads, quinoa, brown rice, oats etc. Everything is cooked from scratch.

When we were in Summerside, PEI one Saturday at their farmer's market I picked up two bags of seeds/dried legumes. One is called Spicy Lentil Crunch and the other Ancient Eastern Blend. With them came instructions for growing your own sprouts. Why should we grow sprouts you ask?

WHY EAT SPROUTS

quoted from The Wonders of Sprouting by Lucie Desjarlais, RNC

"Lots of reasons! They carry plenty of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and enzymes, all necessary for the body to function optimally.  In addition to providing the greatest amount of these nutrients, sprouts deliver them in a form that is easily digested and assimilated.  In fact, they improve the efficiency of digestion. Sprouts are also deliciously fresh and colourful!

Sprouts are very inexpensive (even when organic), always fresh (they grow until you chew them) and have the potential to help solve hunger and malnutrition problems in our communities and in developing countries, because they are so rich in nutrients, affordable, and easy to transport before sprouting.  Sprouts are precious in winter, when the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables is declining as their price increases."

"(Sprouts) supply the highest amount of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc. of any food per unit of calorie."

"...sprouts nourish and strengthen the whole body, including the vital immune system."

That's why!

So while Michael cooked up a batch of Lentil Soup I started to grow some sprouts in a plastic carton that some tomatoes had come in. It was the perfect little environment as it had a lid to keep moisture in and allowed lots of light.

Sure enough, after 3 days of rinsing and draining I had a container full of highly nutritious sprouts!  They are SO delicious and you can't get more fresh than growing food on your kitchen counter! I add them to soups and salads, sandwiches and wraps or just eat them right from the box. Try it - it's so easy and you can grow some fresh all winter long.