Sprouts

Most people are familiar with sprouts in Chinese cooking, but they have been discovered by nutritionists, who find them as rich as tomatoes and grapefruit in Vitamin C. They contain enough protein and vitamins as to be considered a complete food. Many of the sprout proteins are predigested for they are converted to amino acids during the sprouting, and the starches are converted to sugars, making the sprouts a quick-energy food. These facts about sprouts vary with the type of seed sprouted.

Sprouted seeds are the best source of vitamins after sea vegetation. Besides vitamin B Complex they contain vitamin D, C, and vitamin E. Sprouted seeds are rich in unsaturated fat which doesn't create high cholesterol. Sprouts are low in calories.

There are many seeds good for sprouting such as dry beans (Lima pinto, kidney, navy,) mung beans, wheat, alfalfa, soybeans, lentils, barley, buckwheat, fava, corn, dill, flax, fenugreek, gargansos (thick peas), lettuce, millet, pumpkin, peanuts, onions, oats, red beet, safflower, sunflower, garden peas, mustard, cress, black and red radishes, purslane, chia, unhulled sesame, red clover and rye, DON'T BUT SEEDS TREATED WITH FUNGICIDES. The package gives this information. Treated seeds can be harmful.

You can eat the whole sprout, seed, root, hull and roots (if they develop). But many people prefer to remove the hulls. To do so, stir the sprouts vigorously in a bowl of cold water. Skim away the husks that rise to the top or collect at the sides. Repeat rinsing several times. Refrigerated in a plastic bag with slight moisture, sprouts will keep for 8 to 10 days, and they can even be frozen for 2 - 3 months.

Use fresh sprouts just as you do canned ones. To keep crunchiness, cook these "teeth vegetables: as the Chinese should be cooked before eating.