Sprouting Mung Beans

I like to sprout!  

I have had delicious success with Alfalfa seeds.  So I thought it was time to branch out and give another variety of sprouts a try.  Enter organic Mung beans.  So I purchased some and gave it my best.  How did it go??

My Mung beans grew like weeds!  Even when I failed to water them as frequently as I should have, they still turned out amazing--crisp and juicy!  With their mild flavor, I can see why they would make an ideal snack, a lively addition to salads, or a perfect choice in any Asian dish.  Plus, these sprouts were giants compared to the Alfalfa shoots!  But of course, the Mung beans were much larger than the Alfalfa seeds to begin with, so it makes sense.  Most importantly they were refreshing and healthy!  You can order exactly what I purchased at this Handy Pantry Distributors link, as well as read a brief summary of Mung bean nutrition.  It's rather impressive actually! 

 I did miss my "day five" photograph.  Boo.  So if you notice a huge difference between my sprout's growth in a couple of the pics, you'll know why.


I really do hope you give sprouting a try!  If you want lots of how-to details, check out my "I Can Sprout!" blog post, where I chronicle my experience with Alfalfa seeds.  Simply treat the Mung beans with the same kind of care.  The only difference I noticed was that the Mung growing cycle seems to be about 48 hours less than the Alfalfa; I'm not certain to what length these sprouts are supposed to get, but I think I gave my batch a day too many.  Also, be sure not to over fill your jar with beans initially--they need room to grow!  One to two tablespoons will do the trick.

Just remember, sprouting is much easier than it appears to be, so take heart!  I know you can do it!

 Day Two- Mung emergence!

Day Three- Just look at those cute little tails!

  

Day Four- The Mung sprouts are casting off their hulls!

Day Five (No Photo)- 

I remember the jar was three-quarters full. They were probably ready to eat on this day, but for what ever reason, I neglected them. How sad.

Day Six- Jam packed! These babies are just begging to be released from captivity!

Now it's your turn to grow a batch of sprouts!  I wish you the very best of luck!

"Tuna" Salad Sandwich

The other day, I found myself dearly wishing for something tuna-fishy.  Not actual tuna, no no, but just something similar, to soothe my cravings.  Enter blogger, Zucchini Breath, at "Big Raw Vegan Blog".  She is full of earthy, tasty, raw, compassionate goodness over there!   While roaming her web address, I found a wonderful adaptation on this old classic.  Sometimes I get scared off by recipes that appear difficult to put together, but her chickpeas formula looked simple enough, even for timid little me!  :)  And it was well worth the easy effort!  I didn't have any nori, nor dulse, available for my first batch, but still, it was tasty.  For my second trial, I made certain to include the seaweeds and also a dash of relish--it was even more delish than before!  Sandwich heaven!  I admit to using more Vegenaise than some people might like, and I did leave out the vinegar, but really, this recipe is ready to go, hardly an adjustment needed.  I hope you give this "tuna" salad a try-- it doesn't disappoint!  For the ultimate sandwich, pair it with a couple of whole-wheat toasts and some freshly cut, organic tomatoes and lettuce, even cucumber!  Or wrap it up in a leaf of collard greens along with some thinly-pared veggies and homegrown alfalfa sprouts!  Enjoy!  Makes two large servings.

"Tuna" Salad Sandwich

Organic Ingredients:
1 15oz. can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 or 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1/4 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup Vegenaise
1 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 tbsp sweet relish
2 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 or 2 tbsp dill weed
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
pepper, to taste
2 tbsp ground nori (equivalent to half a sheet)
1 tbsp dulse, finely chopped



Instructions:
Open the can of chickpeas, drain off excess liquid, and pour into a large, wide bowl.  Use a fork or a potato masher to crush the beans.  Smash them to a consistency similar to tuna, or to your preference.  Set aside.  To finely chop the celery and onion, use a food processor.  If you don't have a fancy machine, no problem, just mince them down to size the old-fashioned way--with a knife!  Add these veggies to the chickpeas.  Now, measure in the Vegenaise, Bragg's, relish, lemon juice, dill, nutritional yeast, onion powder, and pepper.  Stir lightly; set aside.  Next, grab the nori and dulse.  Hopefully, you have these two seaweeds in a dry, flake form, already ground up, and easily measurable.  If not, here's what you do:  For the nori, take half a sheet, roll it up tightly, then gently cut away at the edges of the roll.  It will start to flake apart.  After a few minutes, you should have the approximate two tablespoons.  Add it to the bowl.  To prepare the dulse, pinch a tablespoon sized section from the dry, crinkled mass.  Rinse this small amount under gently running water, to wash away impurities.  Once wet, the dulse will start to break apart, even between your fingers.  Just chop it a little and manipulate it until it is mostly in fine pieces.  Or use your handy food processor.  Add it to the bowl.  Finally, give the mixture a thorough stirring.  Hooray, it's finished!  Ideally, cover and refrigerate for an hour or more before serving to let the nori hydrate and the flavors blend.  But if you can't wait that long to enjoy your "tuna" salad, I understand.  :D

I Can Sprout!

One of my New Year's resolutions was to learn how to grow sprouts.  I honestly didn't know if I'd be able to do it.  It seemed like it would be so difficult.  But to my surprise, it wasn't.  In fact, it was EASY!  I couldn't believe how easy it was!  I have had great success with simple organic alfalfa seeds!  And I have enjoyed eating the "fruits of my labors" on all sorts of things: salads, sandwiches, tacos, and even all by themselves!  They are a perfect raw food, full of life and high nutrition.  And they taste so refreshing!  Plus, it's far more economical to grow your own than to purchase them at the market!  I hope maybe you'll be inspired by my small measure of achievement and give sprouting a try yourself!  I'll share with you all the tips I used to make my little dream a reality.  Don't be scared!  I can sprout and so can you!  Let's get started!  

My instructions are taken from a photocopy of excerpts from the booklet, "Sprouting For Health in the New Millennium" by Handy Pantry Distributors.  Feel free to follow the links for more information or to order products and seeds.  For clarity, I will put any personal thoughts into parentheses.  And of course, all the photos are my own. 

The Six Rules of Sprouting:

Rinse Often.

Keep them moist, not wet. 

Keep them at room temperature.

Give them plenty of room to breathe.

Don't put too many in any one container.

Keep them covered--no light. 

How To Grow Sprouts -- The Jar Method:

Good sprouting technique doesn't take a "green thumb", just paying attention to four factors: the right amount of moisture, the correct temperature, the free circulation of air, and minimal light.  By rinsing them a couple of times daily, you keep them moist.  You also wash away carbon dioxide and other metabolic wastes that could cause souring or spoiling.  Using cool water when rinsing ventilates and cools the sprouts to prevent overheating.  Proper draining prevents excessive moisture that can cause mold and rot.  The ideal sprouting temperature depends on the seed, but generally lies between 70 and 85 degrees.  To protect the tiny growing things, keep sprouting containers away from cold drafts, direct heat, or any light.  For free air circulation, at least one-third of the container must be empty.  Sprouts expand 6 to 10 times over a few days, so give them plenty of room to grow.  Sprouts are very light sensitive and need to be covered during the early stages of the growing cycle. (Distilled water is the best choice for all soaking and rinsing.  Use it if you can.  The entire cycle will probably take five or six days, from soak to harvest.)

The Seed's Packaging

Step One: Soaking
For a quart-sized (glass canning) jar, start with 1 1/2 tablespoons seeds inside the jar, screw on the fine mesh lid (or just an old nylon stocking and rubber band.  Even having no cover can work! More on that later...) and partially fill the jar with warm water, not hot.  Swirl it around to clean the seeds, then pour out.  Refill with warm water to cover at about 3 times their depth and let soak overnight, away from light.  (I put my jar in the pantry.)

Day 2

Step Two: Draining and Starting
Pour off the soak water.  Find a location that is not exposed to direct sunlight.  Place drained jar propped at an angle (about 45 degrees) to allow any extra water to drain out.  (The mouth of the jar should face down.)  Turn the jar to spread out the seeds.  (The seeds will stick to the jar when they are wet.)  Cover the jar with a dishtowel and leave for 3 to 4 hours. (I often use the dishdrainer on my countertop to prop the jar at the recommend angle, or else a small rolled up towel under the jar's bottom end.  Sometimes I put another washcloth under the lip of the jar to catch the excess moisture that drips out.  Don't forget to cover.)

Day 3

Step Three: Rinsing
Rinse sprouts with cool, fresh water 2 or 3 times each day until they are ready to eat or refrigerate.  (I thought this step would keep me babysitting my sprouts all day long; a very annoying proposition.  Then I realized I usually eat something with about the same frequency.  Now I just make sure that before I sit down to any meal, I first water my sprouts!  Easy peasy!)  When they begin to throw off the seed hulls, let the jar over flow with water and the hulls will float out the top through the screen.  Turn the jar to spread out the seeds each time you rinse.  (Here's a cool tip:  You don't really need a cover for your jar and this is why.  Just fill a clean spray bottle with distilled water and give your sprouts a bunch of gentle squirts, instead of dousing them from the faucet and then having to drain off all that excess water without losing your seedlings down the drain.  You won't need the mesh cover at all, as long as you have a spray bottle on hand.  Also, keep your sprayer in the fridge and you'll always have cool water ready for rinsing!)

Day 4

Step Four: Harvesting
Pour the sprouts into a pan or sink of clean water.  Skim off any remaining hulls that float to the surface.  Other hulls will fall to the bottom of the container.  (All hulls are discarded.)  Pull out the sprouts, gently shake off excess moisture and drain in a colander.  (Rinse the sprouts very well; spend a few minutes doing it.  They will last longer if you do.)

Day 5

Step Five: Greening
Clean the jar and lid.  Place sprouts for greening back into the jar.  Place in indirect sunlight.  Near a kitchen window is fine.  After the sprouts have greened with chlorophyll and carotene's for a day or so, rinse, drain, and eat or refrigerate.

Day 6

Step Six: Refrigerating
Sprouts will stay fresh and hearty for a week or more when refrigerated, if you rinse them every day or two.  You can even give the green sprouts an extra hour of sunlight after rinsing to keep them at their nutritional peak.  Caution: Since sprouts are frost sensitive, don't place sprouts near the freezer compartment. 

Congratulations!  Now enjoy your living harvest!