Mixed Sprouting Success ...

Good news ... I am in the sprouting business.  In other words, I am one step closer to being independent of unreliable and expensive vendors to get my pea sprouts and sunnies.

Lovely, green, tall pea shoots 

My pea sprouts look remarkable.  They are one day from harvest, tall, green, and handsome.
My sunflower seeds on the other hand ... I am not entirely certain what went wrong.  Perhaps they had not sprouted enough before planting, perhaps they were over or under soaked. They look like something from Ursula's garden of withered, poor unfortunate souls.

My sunnies bear a strong resemblance to these poor, unfortunate souls

Once I determined, around day 4 or 5, that something was horrifically wrong with the baby sunnies, I started to soak a new batch.  I am being more conscientious this time despite the fact that I was pretty darn sure I did it right last time. If they do not grow into glorious sunflower sprouts this time around, I simply have no recourse but to blame it on the seeds.

While at Hippocrates, I was told by Carine, the greenhouse manager, that if you do everything as directed and the seeds do not grow, it could be a bad batch. Mine may have sat outside in the Arizona heat too long after UPS delivery, so as not to place direct blame on Hippocrates for the seeds they sent me. (this is me refusing to take personal responsibility)

This is why it is important to buy a good quality seed such as Sproutman's Organic seeds or Wheatgrass Kits.com (ask for 10% off).  There are several good suppliers of seeds, so shop around for a good deal but do not skimp on quality!

See the links page for sprout supply vendors ...

In the meantime, I am 3 days into my second round of pea sprouts and 1 day into my new round of sunnies. I am feeling confident about the outcome this time but will know more in a couple of days. In a month, I expect to have a rotating planting schedule down so I am not getting too much, or too little of either, but "just enough" to sustain me and perhaps a bit left over for my family.

Sprouting Basics

I remember way back about a month ago when I was completely overwhelmed by the prospects of sprouting.  With too much information readily available online, it was impossible to decide which was the best place to buy seeds, equipment, and basically, where to start.  I would spend days researching and getting nowhere, except to another website with more information.  Nothing was growing in this house.

Dazed and confused, I decided that I would wait until after I received all the necessary information from Hippocrates to begin my sprouting adventure and even then, equipped with all the appropriate knowledge, I still felt unsure and reluctant to begin.

Ha ha ha ha.  Joke was on me!  Apparently, sprouts WANT to grow.  In fact, as far as I can tell, you can't stop them from growing once they start.  

All you need are a few simple items and you are ready to go! Here is what I recommend: 

$11.99 on Sproutman.com

• 3 or 4 Easy Sprouters (Or, make your own by stacking 2 jugs - drill holes in the bottom of one for drainage) Kirk, Eric and I made you a couple as reciprocity for the BRC (Bird Repulsion Container). The Easy Sprouter comes with good though perhaps too thorough instructions with separate information for various seeds, beans, nuts, etc.
• Organic Seeds and Beans - I like Sproutman's for good quality Black Sunflower (Sunflower Sprouts), Green Snow Peas (Pea Shoots), Hard Winter Wheat (wheatgrass), Mung Beans, Etc.
• Sprouts, The Miracle Food $11.99 on the Sproutman website.
• Purified Water

Here is a sample ... to sprout beans - Garbanzo and Mung Beans ... 

• Place dry beans into the Easy Sprouter, cover with 2 times the amount of purified water and allow to soak overnight.  
• In the morning, drain, rinse and drain again, then let them sit on the counter (indirect sunlight) to start sprouting.  If you are home for lunch, rinse and drain again. Then in pm, rinse and drain again. Aim for 3 rinses in a day, if you work long hours, two will work.  
• The following morning, you will have nicely sprouted beans!  



See the tails?

• Place these in the refrigerator and keep for 3-5 days, longer if they are in green bags.  

The mung beans are great in salads and the garbanzo beans make fantastic raw hummus in the Vitamix.  Small sprouts, such as broccoli and alfalfa, are exactly the same but they will continue sprouting for 3-4 days.

  


Raw Hummus Recipe: Yields 3 cups

In a Vitamix, add 2 cups sprouted garbanzo beans
3/4 cup olive oil
2oz lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
2t Braggs
1t Cumin
1t Frontier Pizza Seasoning

Dash of Cayenne

Start blender on low and increase speed continuing to stir and blend until smooth.  Adjust lemon and Bragg's to taste and olive oil to consistency.  For different flavor, add a red pepper and a 1/4 onion or try cilantro ... with hummus, anything goes.

* reminder ... hummus is a CARB, so to maintain correct food combining, eat it with sliced veggies such as celery, cucumber, sweet potato chips (dehydrated, yummy), red peppers, or as a side to your sprout salad.

Happy sprouting to you all.  Enjoying eating your nutritious and delicious sprouted foods.

Here is an additional seed resource: Wheatgrass Kits and ask for an additional 10% off.  Thanks Rishi.

The Dirty Dozen and The Clean 15

I am presently a huge proponent of consuming a 100% organic, plant based diet. Especially after learning about the dangers of the pesticides, fungicides and herbicides that are used to grow all conventional produce both domestically and abroad. Here are the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15.  Note ... I will still buy the clean 15 organically grown whenever available, but I will NOT buy the dirty dozen conventionally when organic is unavailable ...

I found this article on the dangers of pesticides on the Organic Food Corner that I found interesting, so I pass it along.

The Dirty Dozen :

 

1. apples
2. celery
3. strawberries
4. peaches
5. spinach
6. nectarines, imported
7. grapes, imported
8. sweet bell peppers
9. potatoes
10. blueberries, domestic
11. lettuce
12. kale collard greens 

Clean 15: Okay to Buy Non-Organic 
(If there is no option for organic)

1. onions

2. sweet corn
3. pineapples
4. avocado
5. asparagus
6. sweet peas
7. mangoes
8. eggplant
9. cantaloupe, domestic
10. kiwi
11. cabbage
12. watermelon
13. sweet potatoes
14. grapefruit
15. mushrooms

The biggest issue I run into are the organic sweet bell peppers ... I have to say, they are a big part of my diet as I cannot consume tomatoes so I substitute red peppers in all my recipes.  Perhaps it is a seasonal thing but they have been out of them at most of the usual places I look ... additionally, they are very pricey.  They run about $2.99 a pepper.  I attempted to grow my own (epic fail) but the birds liked them so much that as soon as they were close to ripening, they pecked them apart. This would often happen overnight and I would awaken to pick my peppers which were pecked.  Any suggestions for me?

Sprouting Day!

I am excited to say that today is the day! I woke up to check on my pea shoot and sunflower seeds, which have grown lovely little tails overnight.  While I was watching "Limitless" with my husband, my seeds were sprouting after a 24 hour soak, followed by 3 rinses.  Today is planting day!  I know it will take about 8-10 days until my babies will be full grown, ready to eat and drink sprouts, but I am so excited to plant today.  Today, I am one day closer to NOT being dependent on Whole Foods or the farmers market for my daily food source.  I will say though, Mark, one of the owners from Rhibafarms, is the NICEST man. We chatted at length about wheatgrass and sunflower sprouts ... very interesting guy.

I already have my trays set up with organic potting mix and ready to accept my seeds ... I suspect this could get a little messy but I am ready to get my poorly manicured hands filthy dirty! Really, all that I need to do is wet the soil, spread the seed and cover.  Water heavily in the mornings and mist in the afternoons while I leave the kids alone and in darkness to germinate. I have considered some lovely classical music playing in the background so they don't feel alone and afraid ... :0

I want to congratulate my friend Kirk on his first batch of wheatgrass which we harvested and juiced yesterday. He and his son consumed 1 oz each of beautiful, green, chlorophyl filled perfection. It was an excellent batch for his first attempt and I gave him some important tips that I picked up at Hippocrates to make his next batch even better.  It is so nice to have friends that will attend the Phoenix Public Market with us when is is 100 degrees at 10am, then hang out while I juice my veggies and stay for a 100% raw food meal. They were fascinated by fare while my husband was eating a tuna fish sandwich. I should add, however, that my husband did come around and enjoy the rest of the meal with us.  I guess the tuna sandwich was just an appetizer.

Stay tuned to see how the sprouts are coming along ... I will have pictures to follow!



The life so short, the craft so long to learn.— Hippocrates

The Benefits of Eating Sprouts

Last night, I started sprouting my first sprouts in my Easy Sprouter containers.  I decided to start small ... alfalfa, mung beans, and garbanzo beans.  If I can do this without killing them, I am ready to move onto my next venture, sunflower sprouts and pea sprouts, which require soil.

The alfalfa sprouts and mung beans are for my salads and the garbanzo beans are to make a very yummy, very much craved raw hummus.  Perhaps I will make it a cilantro hummus.  Or maybe, red pepper hummus so that everything I eat and drink throughout the day is not so GREEN.

Beautiful Sunflower Sprouts

I am most definitely looking forward to growing my own because since Sunday, I have consumed over 3 pounds of each peas and sunnies.  It is costly and I find myself having to run back to Whole Foods to clean out their inventory once again.  I have become pretty good buddies with Otis and Ryan in the produce department and they are now so used to seeing me there that they are more than willing to accomodate my every need.  I am heading out to the Phoenix Public Market on Saturday to pick up sprouts from Rhibafarms but they have only 4 lbs of sunnies and a half a pound of pea shoots for me.  What's a girl to do?  Grow 'em, I guess!  I cannot wait until my growing unit comes in tomorrow.  Now that Eric and Allie are eating more raw, I may need to order more trays.

So here are some facts from Brian Clement's book, LifeForce, regarding sprouts.

• Sprouts are a superfood that possess numerous medicinal purposes.
• They contain 10 to 30 times more concentrated nutrients than the healthiest and nutritious vegetables.
• Sprouts have loads of antioxidants which prevent DNA breakdown and slow the aging process.

Health Benefits:

• Broccoli Seeds - Phytonutrients that inhibit the development of cancer.  Eat them with every meal!
• Fenugreek Sprouts - Help control blood sugar, ease digestive issues and eliminate body odor.
• Mung Beans - Easily the most digestible food.  They are loaded with zinc, and the digestible proteins can help prevent and heal prostate cancer, breast cancer, glandular dysfunction and premature balding and graying.
• Sunflower Sprouts - They are a complete protein having the most balanced source of amino acids. They activate every cell in the immune system and build the skeletal, muscular and neurological systems.  This is the #1 most important sprout to consume.  
• Pea Sprouts - Build muscle and strengthen teeth and bones. #2 most important!

Also, add sprouted lentils, alfalfa and clover sprouts to your salads for variety.  Grains, seeds, nuts and beans can all be sprouted and are all fantastically healthy. A great resource for sprouting is Steve Meyerowitz's book Sprouts - The Miracle Food 

Eat sprouts ... be healthy! 

Why dehydrate?

Why dehydrate?  Cooking food above 110 degrees kills the enzymes and nutrients. Dehydrating at temperatures below 110 degrees maintains both the nutritional aspects and living enzymes of the food.  Of course, it is not as good as eating it straight off the farm but it is a great way to have tasty treats and still maintain the integrity of the food that you are consuming.

First batch of flax crackers were a huge success.  So much better than the raw flax crackers that I purchased at Whole Foods for $7.99.  I have enough to fill 2 huge jars and some overflow so I suspect I will not be needing to make more for awhile.  It would have cost about $50.00 to purchase this quantity and I think the ingredients for the entire batch were under $10.00.  They are a beautiful deep red color and very light and crunchy ... I even pressed a cilantro leaf into a few of them for decoration and they look really beautiful.  This adventure led to something much bigger today ... more dehydrating fun.  

I soaked my nuts (do not make strange assumptions, please!) pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and almonds overnight, then rinsed them really well.  I put aside 1 cup of each for a great granola bar recipe which I will share.  

I made a batch of Sugar-Free cinnamon pecans: 

Mix1.5 tablespoons of stevia powder with a 1/4 cup of water into a large mixing bowl.  

Add 4 cups of pecans into the mixture and tossed them well.  

In a small mixing bowl, add 1.5 tablespoons of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds.  

Add to the pecans and mix by hand.  

Let sit for 20 minutes and mix again.  

Place on a Paraflex sheet in dehydrator for 8 hours, then remove from sheet and put on tray to continue dehydrating until very dry and crunchy. 

Then I made granola bars for my daughter, Allie.  I cannot eat them as they have fruit in them, which for anyone overcoming health challenges is contraband.

I cup of each pecans, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds (soaked and rinsed)

1 cup flax seeds soaked in 1 cup water (will become very thick and gooey)

1 cup soaked dates (soak for 3 hours)

1 peeled and cored apple

3/4 cup of goji berries (soaked 3 hours)

2 tablespoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons stevia powder

Raw Goji Berry Granola Bars

In a food processor, chop one cup of each pecans, walnuts, almonds and sunflower seeds. 

Place into large mixing bowl.

In the food processor chop dates and apple until smooth paste forms - add to nut mixture

Add the soaked flaxseed mix to nuts

Add the cinnamon and stevia and mix mixture thoroughly.

Smooth onto Paraflex sheet about 1/4" thick and then score with a ruler. Dehydrate 8 hours, flip off of Paraflex sheet and onto dehydrator sheet for another 8 hours or until dry.  If they are soft, they will not last as long as they will if they are really dry and crunchy.

I also took the Better Than Tuna leftovers and spread them onto a Paraflex sheet to make crackers before it started going bad in the fridge.  

Then the soaked nuts ... I placed each variety on on a sheet (no Paraflex sheet is needed for plain nuts) and they are coming along nicely. Dehydrated nuts blow roasted nut out of the water for both crunch and flavor!

For those who are unsure why I am soaking my nuts in the first place?  Soaking nuts for 8-12 hours (just soak them overnight to make it easy) removes the enzyme inhibitors and makes them easier to digest.  They will last 7-10 days soaked, in the fridge or you can dehydrate them and store them in an airtight container for a couple of months. Not that they will last that long in this house.  

So needless to say, I have had a great deal of fun playing with the household toys.  After this batch, I think I will give it a rest for a few days.  Phewwww.

 

Applying New Concepts

I am home after three glorious weeks of learning, absorbing and healing at the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, FL.  I admit that I felt a bit inundated with information and was nervous about the prospects of retaining it all. Application seems to be the key!

This morning I was greeted by my new Excaliber dehydrator and Vitamix blender ... ah, the joy of new toys.  After swigging back a nice glass of Apple Cider Vinegar, I prompty began to unwrap my shiny new play-things from their boxes and look through the enclosed recipe books for something RAW to make.  Sadly, many of the recipes were sweet and sugary so I went back to my Hippocrates manuals for some inspiration.

Allie (my daughter) is such a trooper ... she is excited to learn about the different techniques and rules surrounding this raw-vegan, living foods lifestyle.  She asked me what was for breakfast and I told her, "buckwheaties'.  These are dehydrated, sprouted buckwheat groats, with buckwheat milk, stevia and cinnamon.  She loved them ... for lunch she had a sprout salad with pumpkin seeds, cucumber and mixed baby greens and loved that too.  She is not yet prepared to dive into the green juice or wheatgrass.

I soaked my sunflower seeds today for 8 hours then made my Better Than Tuna recipe in my new Vitamix ... used too much Bragg's and it needed to get colder but it was still really yummy.  What an incredible mess I created in the process though!  Here is the recipe:


3c hulled raw sunflower seeds 
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2 cup of water
2 T Braggs
1 cup shopped celery
2/3 cup of white onion

Preparation

Soak the sunflower seeds up to 8 hours and rinse. Put them in a food processor or Viatmix with the water and the lemon juice. Add 2Ts of Braggs or to taste, start with less and add more as needed (you can also use some kelp powder). Process until it forms a tuna like pate. It should be thick and creamy.

Then add the onion and the celery sticks, finely diced and mix with a spoon.

You can serve the “raw vegan tuna” on a green salad or you can eat with celery sticks or flax crackers. If you made too much, dehydrate it and make crispy, yummy crackers.

Tonight I am soaking flaxseeds and will make flax crackers in the dehydrator. Lots and lots of yummy flax crackers from the looks of it. I think I will get some cilantro and make one batch of red pepper and one batch of cilantro ... how hard can it be to split the recipe - same process, just making it twice. It will cost me approximately $15.00 and 2 days, to make 9 trays of crackers. Approximately 100 crackers which will last for 2 months in an airtight container in my pantry. I paid $7.99 for a small bag of raw flax crackers at Whole Foods last month and I think there were about 10 crackers in the bag. 

Remember a great place a purchase the Vitamix Turboblend VS, the Excaliber 3900 and the Omega 8006 juicer is at The Raw Diet Health Shop. Mike Snyder is the owner and is very, very helpful.  They have the best customer service, best prices, and free shipping on most items.

Food Combining Basics

Eat mainly sprouts, everything else is a side dish. Drink green juice at least twice a day.  No cashews, peanuts or if ill, fruit.  Don't drink water a half hour before or 1-2 hours after eating, drink it room temperature.  Don't use vinegar except apple cider vinegar and then, only first thing in the morning before any food.  WOW! There are so many rules to retain in this living and raw food lifestyle.  Well, today I learned more ... FOOD COMBINING. Poor food combing leads to poor digestion, which equals poor health and disease, not to mention indigestion, gas and bloating.  Yes, it makes you fart, April!

Here are the basics:

• NEVER combine protein (nuts and seeds) and carbs/starches (sprouted grains, beans, etc).  Each CAN, however, be combined with veggies. 
• Always eat fruit alone and do not mix fruits from sub-groups of acids, sub-acids and sweet fruit.  on a special occasion, you can mix a sub-acid fruit with either acid or sweet but never mix sweet fruit and acid fruits.
• NO FRUIT or SUGAR EVER while sick or battling illness. (Disease feeds on sugar, including agave, raw honey, etc)
• Tomatoes are fruit ... they do not belong on salad.  They should be eaten alone.
• Avocados can combine with fruit or veggies but NOT carbs or protein.
• Melons should always be eaten alone "eat them alone or leave them alone". 

So this is getting tricky ... here is a little chart to help.

Example:  Do not serve raw hummus (sprouted garbanzo beans) with raw flax seed crackers or nut crackers.  Instead, serve the hummus with celery sticks, cucumber slices or on the side of a salad. 

Poor Combinations: 

Fruit and Starch/Carb

Fruit and Veggie

Fruit and Protein

Starch/Carb and Protein

Starch/Carb and Avocado

Good Combinations:

Avocado and Greens

Avocado and Sub Acid Fruit

Protein and Sprouts and Leafy Greens

Starch/Carb and Sprouts and Veggies

Acid Fruits: Tomatos, lemons, oranges, grapefruits, pineapples, strawberries, kiwis

Sub-Acid Fruits: Apples, pears, peaches, sweet cherries, apricots, most berries, mangos

Sweet Fruits: Bananas, dried fruits (figs, dates, raisins, etc.)

The list goes on ... the information is readily available online.

More interesting fruit facts ... bananas are the only fruit that will continue to ripen after being picked from the tree, all other fruits are picked prematurely and ripen en route to the stores, etc.  Eating unripened fruit actually steals nutrients from your body to help it ripen.  The best bet is try to get all fruit from a farmer's market that was "just picked today" whenever possible.  

Again, if you are struggling with health challenges, including colds, flu, etc.  Stay away from fruit, it's the devil, in all forms.  If you are a healthy person adopting a raw and living food lifestyle, make fruit only 15% of your daily intake.  

On the Hippocrates living food regime it is pretty much 100%, green drinks, sprouts and sprouted beans and the rest is just raw-vegan gravy.  

Here's to great health!

If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health. 

- Hippocrates 

Cooking Raw Food?

Cooking Raw Food?  That really is a bit of a contradiction. The bottom line is this, raw and living food can be quite amazing.  I have picked up so many fantastic recipes while here and it has inspired me to have a raw food dinner party when I return home.  Who's in?  I think the best recipies that I have sampled are a un-tuna and a bruchetta. What are the main ingredients in these? Nuts! That being said, many of these dishes, although delicious, are very rich.  The bruchetta is a raw flax cracker, topped with a thin layer of nut cheese made from mac nuts and lemon, then topped with raw, sun-dried olives and sprouts.

The un-tuna is made with sunflower seeds, lemon, braggs, blended with chunks of celery and onion added for texture.  It is very, very good and can be served as a side dish, or with veggies or flax crackers and the best part, super quick and easy to prepare. How about living veggie burgers, sushi, dessert?   I am not going to give away the secrets of the exact preparations or recipes ...  you'll have to come and see for yourselves.  We will go through the preparation together, followed by a four course dinner.  Date and time to be announced.

One final note ... there is now a place to enter your email address at the top of the blog, I believe this will enable you to get the postings by email if this is easier.

The Magic Number 9

This may be one of the single most important pieces of information I have picked up thus far.  The magic number 9.  While sitting in an aqua-chi detoxifying foot bath and reading the Hippocrates Magazine, I stumbled upon an article called "Buyer Beware".  To summarize the article, it states that you must be highly cautious of so-called "organic produce" purchased at both farmers' markets and in the grocery store.  The only way to truly KNOW that the produce is truly organic is by looking at the PLU sticker.  For it to be truly organic meaning no pesticides and not genetically modified in any way, the product lookup sticker (PLU) must begin with a 9!
As stated in the article, "The PLU sticker was designed by the Product Marketing Association and the International Federation of Produce Coding as not only a way to facilitate food identification and source of origin, but also to facilitate check out.  Most importantly, it tells you how that produce was grown and that fact is imperative to good health."

Here are the code rules:

4 digit numbers, usually beginning with a 4 or 3 = conventionally grown produce, ie., sprayed with toxic pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.

5 digit numbers beginning with an 8 = genetically modified and can also be sprayed with the same above mentioned toxins.

5 digit numbers beginning with a 9 = ORGANIC and cannot be genetically modified and cannot use toxic chemicals of any kind.

Now, the farmers' markets may be trickier.  They often do not have PLU labels and you must then determine the origin and integrity of the produce by asking.  Do not assume because it is fresh and beautiful and picked "yesterday" from a local farm that it is organic.  ASK what they use for pest control, if they compost their soil, how they grow your produce, is it genetically modified in any way?  If they are happy to answer, even brag about how wonderful their methods are, that is likely a good sign.  If they cannot answer these questions to your liking, move on.

Keep your family free of toxic chemicals and "frankenfoods" by choosing the magic number 9!

Everything in excess is opposed to nature-
Hippocrates