Sprouting 101

In my experiments with raw food I could not pass by sprouting - a popular "technique" for getting super-beneficial nutrients from grains and a way of eating grains without cooking. Here is what I learned and what you need to know when sprouting.

First, you will need some raw grains or seeds. Popular choices for sprouting are: mung beans, alfalfa,  raw sunflower seeds, radish seeds, buckwheat, mustard seeds.  You can find them online or in a natural/health store.  Garden seed distributors occasionally have a section of seeds for sprouting.

There are two main sprouting techniques: the tray method and the jar method (those are not official names).  I've tried both and found that the jar method works better for me.  However, certain seeds (like raw green buckwheat and quinoa) are easier to sprout with a tray.  So even if you do not have an empty jar ready, give sprouting a try.

The steps for both methods are the same:

1. Soak your seeds
You could follow specific time tables for soaking but an overnight 8-10 hours soak is all it really takes.  When you soak the seeds make sure to use clean water.  Simply fill a jar (or any deep dish) with water and put your seeds in.  Make sure you have at least twice the volume of water per seeds.

2. Rinse 
Use clean water to rinse your seeds.  You want to rinse them as thoroughly as possible so use lots and lots of water.  You might also need a fine-mesh sieve (sifter) to catch all the seeds.  Or you can choose to use a glass jar for rinsing (and sprouting).  It is also recommended to use high water pressure to better clean the seeds and to oxiginate them.

Here is my jar set up.  To make a similar one you will need to:

• remove a metal flat lid from a mason jar
• use 3 or 4 plies of cheesecloth to cover the top of the jar
• use the circle lid to keep cheesecloth in place

Using the jars this way I do not need to open them every time for seed rinsing - the holes in the cheesecloth are large enough to let water through.  I also like to swirl seeds around when rinsing and it is done easily in the jar.

Once rinsed, seeds need to be drained
3 Drain
You want to keep your seeds slightly moist without having too much water accumulation.
For the tray method this is achieved by placing a damp peace of clean fabric on the tray, spreading the seeds, and covering them with another wet fabric.  Depending on the ambient temperature and air dryness you might need to wet the fabric several times per day.
If using the jar method simply turn your jar upside down and place it in a bowl.  Make sure to have air circulation in your jar, otherwise the seeds will go bad before sprouting.

Here is how my set up looks like:

Wait for 8-10 hours and
4. Repeat: rinse - drain, rinse - drain
It is recommended to rinse your seeds a couple of times per day.  I usually do it in the morning and at night before going to bed.
Several days later you will see tiny white sprouts 'growing' from your seeds.  At this point you can choose to eat the sprouts or let them grow bigger, by repeating the rinse-drain cycle.

Tray vs jar.
As I've mentioned earlier, I prefer the jar method: easy to rinse and to drain, no need to worry about seeds drying up (unless you are sprouting during hot, dry summer days), and I kinda like the way those jars look on my kitchen counter.
However, when I tried sprouting green buckwheat I've noticed that tiny fragile sprouts were getting damaged by excessive swirling around the jar.  I opted for the tray method, which proved to be more successful for buckwheat .
I also used the tray method for quinoa, which requires only one or two rinse-drain cycles (although you could sprout it for longer).

Storage
store you sprouts in the fridge to prevent them from going bad and continuing to grow.

Sprouting is lots of fun and super easy - give it a try!  I think it could also be an interesting project to try with kids; not only they could help with simple task of rinsing but they would get to see and learn how new growth happens from a seed.
Feel free to ask questions in the comments below and stay tuned for a yummy sprouted quinoa recipe coming up later this week.
Anya

Raw vegan Parmesan

Giving up cheese is one of the hardest part for me, when eating vegan.  Several years ago while looking for vegan cheese recipes I came across an easy and rather healthy way of replacing Parmesan sprinkled over pasta dishes and salads.  This vegan Parmesan is salty, flavourful and tangy; and it is great in raw dishes.

I do not have exact proportions for this recipe - I usually go by feel and taste. Vegan Parmesan will last almost indefinite in the fridge.  I like to make a fairly large batch and store it in an airtight container for a month or so.

What you need:

(All amounts are approximate.  Feel free to adjust according to your taste)

2 tbsp light miso
2 tsp nutritional yeast
4 tbsp flax seeds or a mix of flax and sesame seeds
1/4 tsp garlic powder - optional
1/2 tsp onion powder - optional
1/2 tsp spices (basil and oregano work great in this recipe) - optional

What to do:

• In a medium bowl mix thoroughly miso and seeds.

• Add nutritional yeast and stir well.  You should have a crumbly mix, resembling grated Parmesan.  If the mix is very sticky add more seeds - 1/2 tsp at a time.

• At this point your basic vegan raw Parmesan is ready.  You can use it as is or give it a little bit more flavour by adding garlic and onion powders and/or dried herbs.

• I recommend you try cheese after adding each ingredient.  You might find my proportions too generous or you might go for a more herby flavour.

Sprinke over your favorite dish and enjoy!

Raw Thai rolls

I've been experimenting with raw food recently. Although end of February in Montreal is not the best time for seasonal fruits or vegetables, my body craves crunchiness and juiciness of fresh produce. So last week I got out my favorite raw cookbooks and began uncooking.

These raw spring rolls were inspired by Ani Phyo's recipe from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen.

What you need

Almond dipping sauce

1/2 cup raw almonds (preferably soaked)

1/2 cup water

1-2 tbsp Nama Shoyu or 1 tbsp light miso paste

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp agave nectar or other raw sweetener
2-3 tbsp olive oil (optional)

Rolls
4 medium collard green leaves, ribs removed
1 medium carrot, julienned
2 small cucumbers, julienned
1 cup mung bean sprouts
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
4-8 fresh asparagus spears, wooden ends removed
8-12 basil leaves
8 mint leaves
12 springs fresh cilantro 
 

What to do

Dipping sauce:

• Blend together almonds and water until smooth.
• Add the rest of ingredients and mix well.  Taste and adjust for seasoning (I omitted olive oil but made my sauce slightly more tangy by adding more lime juice)

Rolls:

• Roll collard leaf into a cone.  Fill with vegetables.
• Add 2-3 basil leaves, 2 mint leaves and a couple of cilantro springs
• Serve with dipping sauce or add a dollop of it in the roll  

Notes:
Use your favorite vegetables for the filling: julienned zucchinis, green onion, sun dried tomatoes, and thinly sliced mushrooms work great.
Use almond butter instead of raw nuts for a creamier dipping sauce


A year ago Anya was cooking ITALIAN VERRINES

Achick-Chuck aka Uzbek summer salad

 

A couple of years ago Eric, Liza and I launched PassiFlora magazine - a bimonthly online magazine filled with eco-friendly recipes, craft ideas, and articles.  Working on both content and presentation was much more demanding than we expected so after 2 issues we had to slow down and eventually close the project altogether.  Today's recipe and the image come from the 3rd issue of PassiFlora, the one that never got to be published online.

This is my version of achick-chuck - a salad you get to taste in Uzbekistan and some other republics of former Soviet Union.  Traditionally it is made with tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions but feel free to add your favorite vegetables.

Unlike typical North American chef - salads, achick-chuck is juicy without addition of any dressing.  The trick is in the way you slice onions and tomatoes (make sure you get the juiciest tomatoes possible). 

What you need:

1 medium onion

2-3 small (Lebanese) cucumbers or 1 English cucumber

1 red bell pepper

2-3 big ripe tomatoes

a small bunch of parsley, cilantro or dill

splash of olive oil

salt and pepper

optional:

lemon juice

 What to do:

• Thinly slice onions in half-moons.  Rinse them under cold water
• Remove any excess water from the onions; there is no need to dry them or pass through a salad spinner. Generously salt the onions, mixing thoroughly with your hands.  This allows onions to give out some juice
• Cut cucumbers either in half-circles or quarter-circles.  Your slices should be fairly thin, but not as paper-thin as onions
• Similarly slice thinly red pepper.  Combine all the vegetables in a salad bowl
• Time to cut your tomatoes.  Typically, in Uzbekistan we don't use a cutting board for this step, instead we hold the tomato on top of a salad bowl and using the sharpest knife possible thinly slice half circles with the circular motions.  This way sweet tomato juice will drip in the salad bowl 
• Add chopped herbs (roughly 2-3 tablespoons) and a splash of olive oil.  You can also add a little bit of lemon juice at this point
• Mix the salad thoroughly, taste and adjust for salt and pepper

Tips and Suggestions: 

If you are not a big fan of juicy salads and want to add your favorite dressing, omit salting sliced onions and cube your tomatoes instead of slicing them

This salad does not keep well and is better eaten soon after prepared

You can experiment with herbs and add a mixture of cilantro, dill, and parsley (or any other herb you like)

A fast Google search told me that in some republics of the former Soviet Union, this salad is known as "shakarab"

Recipes from the web: Raw edition

Montreal is suffering (or enjoying) a heat wave.  It's way too hot and too humid to do anything, let alone cook.  Last weekend I decided to quickly sauté some veggies and 10 minutes later I was as wilted as my zucchinies and peppers.

What can you eat when thermometer climbs up to 40C during the day?  How about raw food? No, not just salads and smoothies, but a 3-course meal!!!
I have been experimenting with "cooking" raw for a couple of years now and here are my 

favorite easy raw recipes

First course is a bowl of raw broccoli soup.  As you may remember, I am not a big fan of broccoli but the creamy, cool, raw soup was recently added to my short list of favorite broccoli dishes.  I combined 2 recipes: Gena's RAW CREAM OF BROCCOLI SOUP and RAWDORABLY RAW CREAM OF BROCCOLI. The procedure is quite simple: soak nuts (cashews work great), add vegetables and spices, blend until smooth, and serve.

Image by Gena

Main dish - raw pasta with marinara sauce.  This is a very popular raw recipe and just like with regular marinara sauce, each cook has his/her little secrets.  My personal favorite is ANY PHYO'S VERSION.  The only problem is that no one can take a good picture of it - the whole dish is gone in less than a minute!

Image by Jamie Reed via Hello Yoga in Tokio

Cabbage salad

 

We were celebrating my SISTER's belated birthday this weekend and I decided to prepare her favorite cabbage salad.  This is one of the simplest salads there is; all you need is cabbage, onion, cucumbers, fresh dill, and a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  The rest of ingredients are optional but you are free to improvise and add some of your favorite vegetables (I think radishes would work great).

For the dressing I used good quality extra virgin olive oil.  If you want a more complex flavor add a splash of lemon juice or some grated lemon rind.  You can also experiment with herbs: I added a little bit of home-grown lemon thyme in my salad but parsley and/or mint would be great too.

What you need:

1 small cabbage

1 small onion (I prefer the sweet varieties: vidalia, Spanish or red)

1 English cucumber or better a couple of small Lebanese cucumbers
fresh dill
2 tbsp capers (optional)
olive oil
salt and pepper

 What to do:

• Finely slice the onion.  I first cut it in thin half-moons and then slice them in two.  If the onion is too strong, rinse it under cold water.
• A little trick: put sliced onion in the salad bowl, salt it well and mix thoroughly.  It will give a little bit of juice which is oh-so-good as part of the dressing.
• Grate cabbage: no need for any fancy tools here, just cut it in fairly thin strips.
• Cut cucumbers in thin half-circles.
• In a salad bowl, combine all the vegetables and add 2-3 tbsp of finely chopped dill.  Add capers and olive oil (or salad dressing) and mix.
• Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Tips and Suggestions: 

This salad is great for pick-nicks: it's does not get soggy and can easily survive a couple of hours outside of a fridge.