Monthly Archives: June 2010

How To Make Bean Sprouts

by Miralegumes, pantry, questions, recipes

I love bean sprouts. They're delicious and a great source of nutrition. Just the act of sprouting beans increases their nutrition. It also makes their nutrients more bio-available because the first step, soaking, removes phytic acids which interfere with nutrient absorption.

A while back my friend Jen asked me how to make them. She had been interested in doing it but was afraid it was too difficult. She wanted pictures to show her how it was done. I promised that the next time I made bean sprouts I would take pictures and share the process.

This is a batch of lentil, adzuki, mung bean sprouts. You can use any beans you like depending on what you have handy in your pantry. I almost always have mung beans and lentils so I use those a lot. The other beans vary. I usually make a bean sprout mix with anywhere from three to five different kinds of beans.

Start by putting a small handful of each of the different beans into a colander and picking them over. Dry beans frequently have small rocks, little clumps of dirt or other debris in the package, it's important to sort through them before you use them.

After picking them over, rinse the beans well.

Then…

Put them into a bowl and cover them with water.

Put them in the oven overnight

(Be sure to put a note on the oven so you don't accidentally turn it on to pre-heat

when your beans are in there. Trust me on this one.)

The next morning take your beans out of the oven and drain them.

Rinse them well and put them back in the oven.

The next day rinse and drain your beans and put them back in the oven.

Keep doing this.

On day two or three you will notice that your beans have little white sprout tails.

On day three or four you will notice that lots of beans have sprouted and they are ready to eat.

How long they take to sprout depends on how warm or cold it is in your house. Warmer weather

causes them to sprout faster so in my house it's usually three days.

Once you have your sprouts ready to eat it's best to store them in the fridge.

What can you do with them? I put mine into salads, stir fry, curry, smoothies (just a tiny bit for a protein boost), I also eat them raw as a snack. They're absolutely fabulous.

I hope you'll give it a try.

Be well.

Lemon Juice Or Powder?

by Miraquestions

Over on my Facebook Fan Page I recently mentioned how important it is to alkalize your body; a great way to start your day is with 16 oz. of water to which you add 2 T. of either lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar.

This brought up a couple of questions that I thought I would address here.

“If you want to raise your pH, making you less acidic, why are you drinking something with acid in it?”

Although we tend to think of things like lemon and vinegar as being acidic they have an alkaline effect on the body. The reason is that they produce an alkaline ash; this is the residue left after they have been digested. Taking in foods that are more alkaline has an alkalizing effect on the body which in turn helps to avoid acidosis and keeps the body in balance. There are a number of medical experts who feel that a diet that is 70% alkaline is the best for our bodies. It is important to remember that our bodies seek balance. If we eat a diet that is too acidic the body must pull alkalizing minerals from our bones in order to balance. If we eat a diet that is too alkalizing, similarly, the body must return to a balance.

So what are alkalizing foods? Mostly fruits and vegetables, although there are some exceptions there, sprouted beans and seeds, almonds, millet, buckwheat, honey, molasses, and olive oil. If anyone is interested I can put up a list of acid alkaline balance foods.

“.True lemon is a powdered lemon juice, there's also True Lime and True Orange. For portablity, would the lemon or lime work as well?”

I don't think so. I looked up the ingredients: Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Lemon Juice, Lemon Oil, Ascorbic Acid. Citric Acid comes from fermenting the raw sugars in citrus fruit. Maltodextrin is a sugar that comes from hydrolyzing starch and is usually made from corn or potatoes. Not until the third ingredient do we get to actual lemon juice. This means that the major ingredients are not actually juice. I think I'd stick with the juice itself.

Photo courtesy of: Aka | Wikimedia Commons

Carcinogenic Strawberries

by Miraadditives, environment, pest control, poison, unhealthy

A while back I wrote a post about the proposed use of Methyl Iodide as a pesticide for strawberry crops.

The original post stated that the comment period would end on June 14. That has been extended to June 29.

If you have not yet made your feelings about this issue known I urge you to take a moment and do so. The United Farm Workers has a quick and easy way for you to participate on their website.

As I stated previously, this is a known carcinogen, one used in laboratories for it's reliable ability to create tumors. Many scientists, including Nobel winners, have urged that this never be used. Yet California is considering going ahead with it. The potential for damage and illness is huge. Not only those who eat those strawberries, but those who work with the crops, those who harvest and or package those crops, those who live near the fields, all will be affected. This is truly horrifying. Please take just a moment of your time and vote for clean food by stating your objection to the use of Methyl Iodide.

Quick Refrigerator Pickle Recipe

by Miralacto-fermentation, pickles, probiotics, recipes, vegetables

Summer is a wonderful time for fresh and in season foods like salads or grilled meats. I’ve been known to serve it on the side of egg dishes, it’s fabulous on tacos, and I will even confess to occasionally eating it straight out of the jar. If you’re making any of these dishes it can be delicious to add a gentle pickle as a condiment on the side.

This recipe is not only super easy to make, it’s delicious and adds a nice fresh snap to whatever you’re serving. It’s also a bit of a DIY pickle project because you can change the recipe depending on what’s available or what you’re in the mood for. Although you can buy some of your vegetables already julienned into matchsticks I prefer to do it myself using a julienne peeler. My preferred peeler is this wide handled, soft grip version by Oxo. If you’re making a lot of these pickles (something I’ve been known to do once summer arrives) a mandoline slicer is going to be faster and easier.

One nice thing about this recipe is that the pickles continue to get more flavorful the longer they’re in the brine. Once you’re done with the pickles the leftover brine is so wonderful that it’s nice for making a vinaigrette.

Quick Refrigerator Shredded Pickle Recipe

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Ingredients

½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup white wine vinegar
½ cup water
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Seasonings: see note below
2 cups julienned veggies - carrots, red onion, vidalia onion, golden beets, zucchini, English cucumber, radish, kohlrabi, jicama

Instructions

Wash and dry a wide mouth quart canning jar (or other large jar)
Bring vinegars and water to a gentle boil
Add garlic, salt, and seasonings, continue to boil until salt has dissolved
Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes
Add the veggies to your jar
Pour the still hot brine over the veggies
Let the jar cool to room temperature before adding a lid and placing in the fridge
Lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge

Notes

Seasoning note:

Depending on what flavor you want you can use different herbs or spices. For this amount of liquid I like to use 1-2 of the following:

1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2-3 sprigs of fresh herbs - thyme, tarragon, oregano, or dill
If you don’t have fresh herbs you can use ⅓ teaspoon of dried

Quick Pickle Vinaigrette

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Ingredients

Drain/strain your quick pickle jar to remove any floaty bits
¼ cup quick pickle brine
Generous pinch of sea salt (taste it first to see if it needs it)
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ cup good quality ＊olive oil
1 tablespoon dried onions (I like to use my dehydrated vidalias here)
½ teaspoon minced fresh parsley

Instructions

Whisk together brine, salt (if using) and mustard
Slowly whisk in olive oil until mixture is emulsified
Whisk in onion and parsley
This recipe can be used immediately or stored in the fridge up to 2 weeks!

Notes

＊olive oil

This recipe can be used immediately or stored in the fridge up to 2 weeks

Whole Foods Versus Whole Medicines

by Miraadditives, health, unhealthy

“The less we spend on food, the more we spend on health care.” ~ Michael Pollan

I think this recent quote is true. The more we spend on “convenience” the more we buy over-processed, non-nutritious foods. This leads to a nutritional deficit that in turn can lead to illness. This then leads us to take medicines to “correct” whatever is wrong with us and unfortunately no attention whatsoever is paid to managing what fuels our bodies.

Don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting that medicine is bad or unnecessary. On the contrary, I can recall being very grateful for the sophistication of our current state of medical care and what pharmaceuticals can do to help. My foot surgery in 2003 is a prime example. However, I do believe that in many instances we have gone too far in trying to fix everything with a pill and not looking at the food (i.e., fuel) that we put into our bodies. Chemicals are not enough to run the complex organism that is our body.

The more our food is broken down for us, in other words processed, the easier our bodies can work through that food. In the process of breaking down foods many nutrients are stripped. They are then replaced with chemicals that promote shelf stability for longer life in the grocery store, colorants to make them look more attractive, flavorings to fool our palates into thinking we're getting something good, and emulsifiers to help it all stick together. All of these non-nutritive additives do nothing for our state of health. In fact, the faster our body can work through that highly processed donut, candy, cereal, canned pasta, etc, the less it needs to work. And the more empty calories we wind up consuming. If we can't use them all our body saves them. Where does it save extra calories? As fat. Adipose tissue. Frequently in the belly area, but all over our bodies if it needs to.

I believe that it is important to look at what we are eating and how we can increase the nutrient density. The more whole foods you eat, high fiber, no chemicals, low processed, the harder your body has to work to retrieve those energy units we call calories. Yes, overeating even healthy foods can lead to weight gain, but I challenge anyone to eat the same number of apples it takes to make one glass of apple juice and claim that they still have room for more.

While eating a whole food, low process diet may not be the answer to all of your medical problems it will certainly give your body the best possible support it needs to be as healthy as it can be. Staying well hydrated, exercising, getting enough sleep. Those help too. But one of the most important foundations is good nutrition. Eat well to be well.

photo courtesy of pleasant family shopping | Wikimedia Commons