Sprouted Lentils with Asparagus

Sprouted lentils might be my favorite sprouted legume to eat raw, as they taste essentially like a cooked lentil with a little more flavor and crunch. Lentils sprout easily in a short amount of time, and once sprouted they are tender enough to eat raw or slightly cooked if desired. Any variety of lentil may be sprouted; however, because the red lentils are small and usually split, they sprout in rapid time and are generally sprouted and ready to eat within a day. Sprouted lentils with asparagus are delicious with stuffed bell peppers and beets and tangerines.

1 c sprouted lentils

½ lb asparagus, trimmed and roughly chopped

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

1 tbsp fresh basil, roughly chopped

¼ red bell pepper, thinly julienned

½ lemon, juiced

2 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1. First, sprout lentils, which takes 8-24 hours, depending upon the variety of lentil.

2. Next, heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté until golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Once onions are caramelized, add asparagus and bell peppers, stir until combined and remove from heat.

3. Combine sprouted lentils, caramelized onions and vegetables, basil and lemon juice and gently fold to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Serve salad room temperature or chilled.

Serves 3-4

Sprouted Lentils

As a child, my parents co-owned a small sprout business based in Montana and only recently have I revisited the culinary practice of sprouting seeds. Germinating seeds into sprouts for consumption, either raw or cooked, is most commonly known as sprouting. Sprouting has a long history of use among humans, recorded by Chinese physicians thousands of years ago; sprouting continues to be a popular culinary tool in present day societies. To sprout any seed, two basic steps need to be followed including soaking the seed in water for a period of time and draining the seed thus exposing the sprout to oxygen required for continued growth. Seeds germinate best at temperatures around 60-75 degrees out of direct sunlight. Different seeds have different soaking and draining requirements, depending upon the dormancy of each seed. Sprouted seeds are a versatile ingredient and may be consumed raw or cooked depending upon the seed sprouted and personal preference. For more information on sprouting any number of nuts, seeds and grains, visit sprout people.

½ c lentils

water

1 quart glass jar

cheese cloth

rubber band

1. Place the lentils in the quart glass jar. Add about 3 c water. Cover the opening of the container with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. Keep the container at room temperature out of direct sunlight. Soak the lentil for 8-10 hours.

2. Leaving the cheesecloth and rubber band intact, drain the lentils, thoroughly rinse them and drain again. Place the drained lentils at an upside down angle, to allow proper and thorough drainage (e.g. on an angled dish rack). Keep the upside down container at room temperature and out of direct sunlight for 24 hours, allowing the lentils to sprout.

3. Drained and mostly dry sprouted lentils may be kept in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.

Makes about 1 c sprouted lentils