This isn’t really a recipe, but we are so excited about sprouted lentils that we wanted to make sure you know how to make them, and what to do with them when you do. You can sprout several different kinds of seeds and beans, but lentils are one of our favorites, followed by mung beans. They taste similar to fresh green peas, and are easy to find in any grocery store. We particularly like making them in the winter to add some fresh green food to our diet. Naomi (14) is our resident sprouter.
We have some sprouting trays to handle larger quantities, but sprouts are very easy to do with a mason jar and an onion bag.
Soak your dried lentils in a bowl of warm water for several hours to give them a good start. One cup of lentils is a good amount.
Now, divide your soaked lentils between two quart mason jars. I highly recommend using wide mouth jars. In fact, I’m to the point where I only use wide mouth jars, because the regular mouth are just too hard to clean properly.
Cut your onion bag so that it lies flat, then fold it so that you have about four layers. Use this as your lid, and hold it on with a mason jar band. Turn your jars upside down over the sink to make sure all the water is drained out. You want your lentils to be moist, but not sitting in water.
Now, rinse them with warm water, and let it drain out two to three times a day. Your sprouts will grow quite quickly, and you’ll be able to eat them in 2-3 days. You’ll get a taste for how long a sprout you want.
What do you do with all these sprouts? Eat them, of course! You can add sprouts to all kinds of dishes. Try them in a salad, sandwich, on chili, on pizza, in pasta salad, the list goes on and on.
Enjoy! Once you have sprouted lentils down, be sure to try other beans and seeds, too! They are a wonderful way to add fresh food, and loads of nutrients and enzymes to your food.
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