Sprouting—Entertain The Kids AND Put Nutritious Food On Your Table

Clover sprouts.

Soak mung beans and lentils for 8 hours.

Rinse seeds 2 or 3 times a day and invert jars.


Day 10 of our “One Month Raw Food Cleanse”
I bought these delicate clover sprouts the other day to make veggie sushi. It reminded me that I hadn’t sprouted in a while. So I bought some seeds, pulled out my sprouting jars and thought it would be fun to share this with you.

I’ve kidded a lot about all the kitchen toys in a raw kitchen. Besides high speed blenders, juicers, dehydrators, spiralizers and food processors, you are bound to see a fair share of sprouting jars. Unlike some of the other gadgets, sprouting jars are inexpensive and provide a good way to have an indoor garden. And there are fewer foods on the planet more nutritious than sprouts. There are other methods of sprouting also but I’ve gotten hooked on the beauty and simplicity of big glass jars.

As a sprout germinates, it unleashes its nutritional power. Although there is not an abundance of data to demonstrate these exact figures, a seed’s nutritional content is said to increase significantly once it germinates. Once germinated, a seed is also more digestible. Sprouting also reduces the phytic acid content in seeds, grains and beans which inhibits the absorption of vital minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc. Sprouts are bursting with enzymes.

My favorite things to germinate are lentils and Mung beans. These two beans are not only nutritious and easy to digest, but they sprout easily and if there is one thing I need to keep me going, it’s results! If you have children, it will thrill them to see little guys show signs of sprouting after just a day or two.

How to sprout Mung beans and lentils:

• Start with raw, organic beans. They quadruple in size so start out with 1/4 of what you want to end up with.
• Place in a sprouting jar with a mesh top and soak for 8 hours.
• Rinse 2 to 3 times a day and leave the jar inverted on a drain board. Place them in an area around 70 degrees F.
• In 3 - 4 days the lentils will be ready. It will take about 5 days for the Mung beans. In the final day put them in indirect sunlight.
• When the sprouts are ready, soak them in a big bowl of cool water and let the empty seeds, or hulls, rise to the top. Discard the hulls and rinse and dry the sprouts. They are now ready to eat or you can store them in the refrigerator.

Raw lentil sprouts are a good source of protein, thiamin, iron, phosphorus and copper and a very good source of vitamin C, folate and manganese. They contain no saturated fat or cholesterol.

Sprouted Mung beans are a good source of protein, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium and a very good source of vitamins C and K, riboflavin, folate, copper and manganese. They are low in calories and contain no saturated fat or cholesterol.

Put sprouts in sushi rolls, on top of salads or in sandwiches. Enjoy!

Menu for Day 10
I will just nibble on fruits and veggies until early afternoon when I will be pigging out at my favorite raw food restaurant, Café Gratitude. Happy Mother’s Day!!!