Friday, June 18, 2010

chick pea sprouts

do you ever sprout chick peas?
(aka garbanzo beans)

they are
~ so easy ~
~ so cheap ~
~ so yummy ~
~ so nutritious ~

i like to buy dried organic chick peas in bulk.
{better for you, better for the planet}
at the boise co-op they are $1.59/lb
but winco sells them for 77¢/lb (better for your wallet).

when you get them home, you will need to
soak them overnight
as if you were going to cook them.
i usually soak 4 cups of dried chick peas
then take some out to sprout
and cook the rest.

instant gratification
believe it or not,
after one overnight soak (at least 8 hours)
they are technically "sprouts"
and can be eaten immediately.

after soaking,
drain & rinse the chick peas.
at this point, i start munching on them.
  
here's what recommend:
keep the sprouts in a colander
on your kitchen counter, near the sink.
(keep them out of the direct sun.)

set the colander over a bowl so they can drain.
partially cover to allow airflow but prevent drying out. 

sprouts should be rinsed a few times every day
(about once every 8 hours)
and drained well after each rinse.

each day, they will continue to sprout
and become even more nutritious.

after about four days, i put them in them in the fridge.
this stops the sprouting & keeps them fresh.

this photo shows chick peas that are
1. dried
2. soaked overnight
3. sprouted for four days

these sprouts can be eaten as a snack,
tossed on top of a salad,
or as a side dish with a little oil & vinegar.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

i have a big pot of chick peas simmering on the stove.
check tomorrow's post to see what i'm making...

5 comments:

Dawn said...

I love chick peas, in fact there are some in my quinoa salad in the fridge right now, but, ummm.. I shouldn't be buying these in the can like I always do??? So, sprouting them makes them more nutritious??? is that why you do it?? You know I will be back tomorrow to see what you made!

sewmuchwhimsy said...

Catie, I buy a lot of canned chick peas, but have never even thought of buying them dried. So at what point in this process are they the same as what you buy canned? We only eat them raw, out of the can in salads, etc or ground for hummus. I can't wait to see what you're up to!!! xoxo Gretchen

catie said...

dawn ~ yes, these are raw, uncooked chick pea sprouts. super nutritious & i love the taste... very raw - somewhere between a crunchy veggie & a nut.

gretchen ~ the ones you buy canned have been cooked. they are great & really healthy, too, but lately i've heard that when we eat canned food we are ingesting Bisphenol A from the can (look here: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20100518/canned-food-may-expose-people-to-bpa ). cooking your own is much cheaper & you can control the sodium & ditch the other "mystery" ingredients (like disodium EDTA).
♥ ♥ ♥

Dianne said...

Catie you are a health food guru! I only eat chic peas in hummus or salads. cannot wait to see what you are making.

Dawn said...

I did read this about the cans...so it looks like I need to make the switch!

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