Insider Tip – DIY Lentil Sprouts | The Food Party! | Laura Stec | Palo Alto Online |

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By Laura Stec

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About this blog: I've been attracted to food for good and bad reasons for many years. From eating disorder to east coast culinary school, food has been my passion, profession & nemesis. I've been a sugar addict, a 17-year vegetarian, a food and en...  (More)

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Insider Tip – DIY Lentil Sprouts

Uploaded: May 14, 2020

So I’ve been looking at all those jars of grains and beans sitting pretty on my shelf with new light during sequestration. How can I use these key foods in new ways? Also, with so much in the media about the effect of COVID on the meat industry, I definitely want to incorporate new proteins into my diet, especially beans and legumes, which I tend to overlook.



Enter sprouts. An easy way to use beans without having to cook, and today's Insider Tip for folks stuck in the kitchen in search of inspiration. A cup yields 7 grams of protein, and while that may not come close to competitors,



sprouts are an easy toss into salads and over many things, boosting protein intake in places you least expect. Sprouting may also enhance nutrients available to us, increasing amino acid profiles, protein concentration, and availability of vitamins and minerals. There's superpower energy in eating foods that are growing.

Sprouting lentils and beans is a fun, easy activity, and certainly kids enjoy watching the daily progression.

Fill a mason jar with a ½ cup of lentils, rinse well, drain, and cover with water. Cover with dampened cheese cloth, or a bendable screen mesh (if you have neither, try a paper towel or coffee filter). Anchor by screwing on the lid. Let rest overnight.



In the morning, drain and rinse the lentils well; then prop up and place out of direct sunlight. Rinse twice a day. Soon the sprouts will start growing. After 3-4 days, when small leaves appear, your sprouts are ready to eat.



Store in the refrigerator, covered. They will last for around a week in the fridge.

I put them on everything,





and especially like my new creation Sprout Popcorn. Try spouting with different types of beans: here I used the small French lentils, and next time I’ll try red lentils, and garbanzo beans.



Sprout Popcorn
Combine ½ cup of sprouted lentils with 1 teaspoon, or to taste, nutritional yeast. Munch while watching your favorite movie.




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Comments

Posted by I'm The Eggman...I'm The Walrus, a resident of College Terrace,
on May 15, 2020 at 3:01 pm

koo koo kachoo.

I love sprouts!

another EZ concept...egg foo young which is little more than bean sprouts (mung beans) folded into an egg omelet.

egg foo young + steamed brown rice = dinner OR slap the egg foo yung between two slices of whole wheat bread for a quick & EZ sandwich.

why become a slave to the meat-packing industry?





Posted by I'm The Eggman...revisited, a resident of College Terrace,
on May 15, 2020 at 3:08 pm

TYPO > young = yung

although I once knew a guy named neil yung...he did not know how to play guitar but was skilled in the making of dim sum.


Posted by Laura Stec, a resident of Portola Valley,
on May 16, 2020 at 9:00 am

To show how easy this actually is, my boyfriend used to sprout on the back of his bike, during our cross country bicycle trips! Ahh the good ol' days.


Posted by Elaine, a resident of Los Altos,
on May 17, 2020 at 1:27 pm

Hi Laura, I appreciate your protein measurements of different foods, but isn't it hard to measure protein when the amount that your body absorbs really depends on the other food that you eat in the same meal? Also, the amount of protein PER CALORIE is what I am most interested in.


Posted by CrescentParkAnon., a resident of Crescent Park,
on May 20, 2020 at 3:36 pm

Good post. Sprouts are good. Eating less meat is good. Thanks.


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