COOL SPROUTS SALAD
We live in a century of multiple office deadlines and daily home chores. No doubt, none of us have enough time to halt and plan a full day of healthy eating.
So, today I’m going to share the quickest, budget-friendly recipe, which has no fancy ingredients in it rather it’s high in protein, fibers, and antioxidants.
Once you get the preparation basics well, it’ll take you only 5 minutes to start eating. Yes, you heard me right……eating in only 5 minutes.
So, let’s dive in straight to our salad preparation basics.
4 STEPS TO PREPARE SPROUTS FROM SCRATCH
Sprouting might seem to be easy but, it can be very overwhelming for some budding cooks out there. Following this 4 step guide will get you growing your very own sprouts very easily, in the comfort of your home:
1. Cleaning and Draining – Start by washing and eliminating floating grains, if you see any.
2. Soaking – Make sure you soak legumes like whole moong and black chickpea for at least 8 to 10 hours. The amount of water must be two times your grains.
I mostly prefer to soak them overnight as the next morning they all are double in size which is perfect for sprouting.
Not giving grains enough time for soaking will hamper the growth of sprouts further so, do soak them well.
3. Placement – Drain any excess water from grains and, place them in a damp muslin cloth or a mason jar. If using a cloth, give it a very loose knot, so they all are well placed and still have some space to grow.
4. Storage – Storage is the next crucial step for sprouts growth. So, store them in a warm and dark place at room temperature.
Never put them in the refrigerator for storage because sprouting needs room temperature for growth. For this, any place on your kitchen slab will work fine.
Honestly, the length of any sprouted root depends on the quality of your grains. It takes a minimum of 24 hours on average to get 1 – 2 inches of sprouted roots. It can take few more hours like 30 – 40 hours to get long sprouts.
EATING SPROUTS CAN BE RISKY
PRO TIP – Sprouts are always risky to eat raw because, warm humid room temperature in summers mostly, promotes the growth of pathogens and bacteria in them. So, don’t eat them directly.
Store them in the refrigerator for at least 1 day prior to your eating or boil them very slightly, this will lower the risk of Food Poisoning.
LEARN ABOUT YOUR INGREDIENTS
Mung bean or Moong Dal Sprouts
Mung beans are an excellent source of plant-based essential amino acids like Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, and Valine.
What are essential amino acids?
Amino acids are small organic compounds linked together to form proteins. As the name suggests, essential amino acids cannot be produced by the body. Hence, you must eat multiple food sources to acquire it.
Now, sprouted mung beans have added benefits to it like, few calories, high in proteins (essential amino acids), fibers, and antioxidants.
Read more about Amino’s and Protein, here.
Black Chickpea or Kala Chana Sprouts
Black chickpeas are known for their qualities to fight Anemia. As they are rich sources of iron and phosphorous, which helps us increase our haemoglobin levels.
On the contrary, sprouted Kala chana has added benefit of, high amount of soluble fiber, which helps us in getting fast relief from constipation.
Added calcium, minerals, and vitamin content in this sprouted legume will help your skin to get more glow, bones to be more strong and immunity levels to be even higher.
RECIPE
This is a cool salad and if you are just like me, who love eating sprouts raw, you will fall in love with this recipe instantly. Very delicate in taste, super light for digestion but, rather this will make you feel fuller also as it’s high in protein, So yayyyy..!!! for all the fitness freaks out there.
High Protein makes this a suitable fit for both Muscle Hypertrophy as well as Weight Loss. (If you create the right balance of all ingredients)
First of all, let’s take a look at some basic insight about this cool sprout salad recipe.
Salad’s Prep Time: 15 mins
Salad’s Cooking Time: 5 mins
Servings: 1 – 2
MACROS (Per Serving)
Total Calories: 300 calories
Carbs: 46 g
Fiber: 11 g
Proteins: 21 g
Healthy Fats: 17 g
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup sprouted moong dal
- 1 cup sprouted Kala chana
- 100 g low fat panner (vegans can use tofu)
- 1/2 cup cucumber (diced into cubes)
- 1/2 cup fresh tomatoes (de-seeded and diced into cubes)
- 1/2 cup onion (finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup raw peanut’s (slightly roasted)
- 1/2 cup pomegranate (use seasonal fruits)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tbsp Indian chat masala
- A Dash of sea salt (as per taste)
- A Dash of pink Himalayan salt (as per taste)
- A Dash of roasted black pepper (as per taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Wash all the raw vegetables and fruits thoroughly before chopping or dicing.
- Take a big bowl for tossing the salad. Pour in all the ingredients inside together.
- Give it a good mix so that, all the spices and ingredients are well combined.
- Garnish it with whatever inspires you and voila..!! enjoy 🙂
HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING SPROUTS
-Improves Digestion.
-Improves EyeSight.
-Aids in Weight Loss.
-Improves Heart Health.
-Helps in Building Collagen.
-Controls Blood Sugar Levels.
-Good for Long and Strong Hairs.
-Stops Premature Growth of Grey Hairs.
-Maintains pH levels and Reduce Acidity.
-Decrease Levels of Acne and Skin Inflammation.
-Improves EyeSight.
-Aids in Weight Loss.
-Improves Heart Health.
-Helps in Building Collagen.
-Controls Blood Sugar Levels.
-Good for Long and Strong Hairs.
-Stops Premature Growth of Grey Hairs.
-Maintains pH levels and Reduce Acidity.
-Decrease Levels of Acne and Skin Inflammation.
Hope you like this recipe!! HAPPY EATING 🙂
