Here is a little something green for St. Patrick's Day! This was my first experience sprouting anything and I was delighted by how easy it was. I love fresh sprouts, especially on sandwiches and salads, but they are expensive to buy at the store. It's incredibly cheap and easy to make on your own and adds a delightful crunch to all kinds of dishes.
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| Place your lentils in a sunny widow in a clear container with cheese cloth on top. |
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| After several days of sprouting |
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| yummy, crunchy sprouts! |
To sprout you own lentils, just put about 3/4 cups of dry lentils (any kind is fine but not split, they must be whole) in water to soak over night. After they are soaked, place them in a clear container in a sunny window with a piece of cheese cloth on top. Make sure you have plenty of extra room in whatever container you use because they will grow quite a bit. Rinse the lentils in cold water twice a day, making sure that no puddles collect in the bottom of the jar. In just a few days the lentils will have sprouted and when you see green leaves they are ready to eat. You can then take them out of the jar and store them in the fridge.
I loved watching these guys sprout, it was awesome to see green things growing from my dried lentils that have been in my pantry for months. What a perfect project for spring!
I tried to make mung bean sprouts about a year ago and failed miserably. Most likely because I just couldn't get my act together in the morning to switch the water out before I went to work. Maybe I'll give it another go after little man gets here. :)
ReplyDeleteOhh! where did you buy the mung beans, I might want to try those next!
DeleteWhole Foods sells them with their seeds in the front of the store. I think you can also get alfalfa seeds too!
DeleteI'm not a big sprout fan, but I think my husband would like it. I will have to ask him if he wants to try this with the mass quantity of dried lentils he has stashed in the pantry. Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDelete