Far out lentils and sprouts

Let me tell you a secret.  You know those packets of alfalfa, beetshoots and sprouts you get at the supermarket for around $3 a pop, you could make loads more with that dollar amount using dried lentils, sprouting seeds and peas.  We have started our summer ritual of growing our own sprouts.  An awesome addition to a salad, wrap,  sandwich, added as a garnish to soup, a stirfry, homemade ricepaper rolls, spring rolls or a juice for that matter. 

Visitors always ask, "whats that on your bench" and its our sprout tower. These sprout trays you can get from Bunnings and the like, but if you are really wanting to get creative they can be done in a plain old jar.  You will have to add clean water each day, which slowly drips through the tower and collects at the base, but thats it.  You can buy the spout packs at most good garden centres but you can just use your kitchen supply of dried peas, chickpeas, nuts, seeds and lentils and its honestly a piece of p!ss.  Better still they are so good for you, rich in essential nutrients, amino acids, antioxidents and chlorophyll (a powerful blood cleanser)

A beautiful simple salad to make with these goes like a little something like this

Lentil, sprout, pea and herb salad

1 tin of brown lentils, I cheated as sometimes its easier, you only need a few tablespoons of lentils

1 spring onion finely sliced

1 handful of fresh garden peas or defrosted and drained well peas but fresh are in season and taste like a slice of heaven

1 handful of rocket leaves

1 handful of parsley leaves

few sprigs of mint finely sliced

1 handful of mixed sprouts

30g or so of shaved parmesan, seriously don't weigh it, just get your vegie peeler and go your hardest for about 10 shaves worth.  Save a couple for your pretty garnish

a mustardy vinegarette, so tspn english mustard, a tspn evoo, 2 tspn apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, put on a jar and shake well, should be able to really taste the vinegar tang and be well seasoned.

smige of balsamic glaze

Toss all ingredients in a bowl, except the balsamic glaze and 3 shaves of parmesan.  Arrange on a plate, top with the parmesan and drizzle with balsamic glaze, if you aren't worried about the fat a drizzle of evoo will be delightful here too.  Like all my salad recipes you can omit or add what you like really, nuts, meat, eggs or fish would work equally as well with this as would grated carrot or beetroot, a few slices of avocado, chopped up tomatoes, go wild!

I had this with a wedge of silverbeet frittata which I'll add in a few days.

Get sprouting people, peace out.

Ciao, Jan