Apr 172011
I have a new love named…..sprouts.
A while back I got a sample package from truRoots that included some dried sprouted grains including quinoa and mung beans. After doing a few posts my friend Megi from Linden Tea asked if I had ever sprouted anything myself and said she does all the time! I said my dad did while I was growing up. I can remember the seeds laid out on wet paper towels and placed in the dark shelf under the kitchen sink. We would huddle there at the cabinet doors excitedly examining the germination process. Watching the progress was so interesting! In school, two of my science projects were on hydroponics and flowers and germination while everyone else was building volcanoes and planetary replicas of the solar system.
I asked Megi what she sprouts and she said everything! Quinoa to almonds. And to check out Sproutpeople.org. So I grabbed an old vase and a metal coffee filter, logged on to see how it was done, watched this you tube video and sprouted some red quinoa. It didn’t have any overpowering flavors just a soft texture so it was versatile enough to put on everything from salads to breakfast cereal.
Just add water, rinse and drain a few times and then soak over night.
12 hours later drain and rinse and set in a dark place for 12 hours. Repeat until sprouted.
I think it took me three cycles.
BUT sprouting the quinoa by this method was a bit of a pain so I went on ebay and got myself an Easy Sprout for 12 bucks. (I also saw a sprouter jar at my natural food store and I’m sure Whole Foods has them so you can check there.)
With my new sprouter I did white beans but couldn’t figure out at what point they start tasting good and Megi said I should still cook those but by then it was too late. I had to discard them. No worries, it was only 1/2 cup of dry beans so I was out a few cents and my daughter loved watching them grow.
Next up? Oat groats! Oat groats are simply the whole grain form of oats where the bran layer is left in tact unlike rolled oats. Because of this outer layer it takes longer for your body to break it down and digest it; meaning it is a very slow burning carb that stabilizes your blood sugar, great for lasting energy and fullness. Instant oats, on the other hand, are so easily digested it is about equal to a shot of sugar to your system. It is converted quickly and will cause your blood sugar to spike and drop.
The taste and texture? Slightly nutty and chewy in a very pleasing way.
Cook time? Use three parts water to one part oat groats and simmer for approximately 50 minutes.
Sprouting sounded like a good alternative as I could just eat them right out of the sprouter and not cook them at all! What a perfect breakfast solution for my upcoming detox. Again I went to sproutpeople to see if there is a difference with sprouting oat groats.
This SOUNDS like a lot of work but once I watched the how-to sprouting video I realized this is a no-brainer.
1. Put the desired amount of oats in your sprouter.
….and rinse for about 60 seconds to get all the starch off.
2.Soak for 30 minutes only.
3. Drain and rinse about 4 to 5 times. Cover with domed lid and let sit for 12 hours in a dark place.
4. Repeat step 3 (I eat them here. So I drained and rinsed thoroughly then refrigerated at this point.)
BUT you can keep going if you want.
5. Repeat step 3.
6. Drain, Rinse thoroughly about 4 to 5 times and refrigerate.
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Sprouted Oats with Bananas, Walnuts and Maple Syrup
Serves 1
Ingredients
1 banana, chopped,
2 rounded Tbsp sprouted oat groats
1 tsp each chia and ground flax
6 walnut halves, chopped
1 tsp each real maple syrup and blackstrap molasses (for Iron)
Dash of salt
Unsweet vanilla almond milk (optional)
Directions
1. Layer everything in a bowl.
Estimated Nutrition Facts
(Please note: Sparkrecipes where I build my recipes did not have chia seeds as an option so this doesn’t include the 1 tsp chia and only listing for oats was “oats”. I doubt they meant groats so I’m sure there is more fiber than listed here)
Amount Per Serving
***7 WW Pts Plus
1 Serving
Calories 214.4
Total Fat 9.2 g
Saturated Fat 1.2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 6.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.7 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 160.2 mg
Potassium 573.3
Total Carbohydrate 38.7 g
Dietary Fiber 5.0 g
Sugars 12.3 g
Protein 4.1 g
Vitamin B-6 26.0 %
Copper 25.0 %
Magnesium 21.5 %
Manganese 90.2 %
This is a great breakfast. One I wish I were having this morning. I don't think I've ever seen sprouted oats. I'll have to check them out.
Hi Dawn, what a delicious and healthy breakfast! I am so glad to see sprouting is working so well for you. I make my daughter hot breakfast cereals with sprouted oats and amaranth and she LOVES them.
Dawn this is so darn cool!!! I am seriously considering doing this when I move into a bigger apartment (no place for a sprouter in this one). I can just imagine how fresh and clean these taste!
So cool. I've never sprouted anything (on purpose LOL).
I've started to grow pea shoots in old containers, and this hydroponic sprouting is next on my list of things to do! This breakfast looks super healthy! Packed with super foods!
Oh I am going to have to get me a sprouter. It looks great!
That looks super yummy!! I really should get into sprouting…I have no idea why I haven't?? It's so good for you!
Oh I love this! I used to sprout a lot more, but I still love having them. This dish sounds so tasty!
It is SO tasty. I think the blackstrap molasses is a taste to get used to but I kind of like it on this!
Amanda, you should sprout! You would love it!
Wow this is quite cool! My last sprouting experience is pretty much same as yours back in grade school
Good to know that they are way more useful than just staring at it 
I agree. Very cool! What a fun experience. It sounds like you'll take after your dad, sprouting all kinds of grains.
Wow! Once again I'm jealous of your upbringing (your parents sound so cool!) and I think it's so great that you've got your daughter interested in this too. The only thing I don't like is hearing that little tidbit about instant oats
Then again I almost always have mine with protein powder so that certainly helps keep me satisfied!