Sprouting Chickpeas

Sprouting chickpeas is a very simple and easy practice.Apart from chickpeas we can also sprout many other things like Nuts, Beans, Seeds and Whole grain (Wheat, Barley, oats, sweet corn etc).
Boiled chickpeas are very much famous and people eat it 12 month due to its availability throughout year.

Sprouted beans, seeds, nuts are full of nutritive values and it enhance further the quality of material in the sense of vitamins and minerals. We can eat raw sprouted chickpeas and also make some recipes from it but raw sprouted chickpeas are recommended more beneficial then boiled.

Here is a simple way to sprouting

* Chickpeas sprouting time is 3 days so start right now and get benefits from it after three days. Take air tight jar and put two tablespoon of chickpeas then put tepid distilled water in it and leave jar for 18 hours.
* Then drain water from jar and rinse chickpeas and again put tepid water and this time leave it for 6 hours.
* Repeat practice of draining, rinsing and putting cold water after every 6 hour for two days more and after completion of three days you will find sprouted chickpeas.

(Note: This practice can be extended for one to two days more if needed)
Eat raw sprouted chickpeas with salad and yogurt, enjoy it with your friends and family. You can freeze it if you want to eat it in your own time. Does not matter you can store it.

How to stick to a diet

Let's say it's not that easy. What if they want you to bring dessert? Ok – easiest option here is a fruit salad but let's say they want you to bring something more substantial. Well, if I were asked to bring desert, I would whip up a raw dessert and have a great time doing so using a recipe I'd love to try. And then I'd also bring (usually buy) something cooked for guests who'd prefer it and/or kids. People really anticipate dessert and I wouldn't want to associate a raw dessert with being disappointed. Still, I'd show off how some raw desserts knock cooked ones out of the water!

Lastly, no matter what I am asked to bring, I always bring an extra dish made up of all raw ingredients that is awesome just to introduce raw cuisine to people. People tend to really get knocked out when I bring angel hair zucchini with pesto sauce. This gives you an extra dish to eat among the cooked options and, in my experience, it's only met with curiosity and delight. I present the dish with the explanation that I'm eating a lot of raw food these days and I thought this side dish was really great and I hope you don't mind that I brought it along to try.

This salad is a HUGE hit with people and it's one of the salads from my Summer Sampler Cookbook

Mesclun Salad With Shaved Pear
2 large handfuls of lettuce
One pear
1/4 c Walnuts
2tsp Agave

Dressing
2T olive oil
1T orange juice
2tsp Agave
rock salt to taste

Walnuts: If you have a toaster over, spread walnuts out on tray or foil, coat with Agave and toast on lightest setting. If you don't have a toaster oven, let walnuts soak in Agave while you prepare salad. Top salad w. walnuts just before serving.

Pears:
Leave skin on and shave with peeler completely to form layered shavings.
Dressing: Combine and add to salad just before serving

Stick to a diet at summer parties

In my experience, about 90% of the time the host will assign me a salad once I suggest one even if they have no idea about my raw preferences. If I bring the salad – easy – tons to choose from. In fact, I'll post one below that everyone loves.

The next thing you might suggest if you have time is to bring a vegetable side dish. Again, there are many raw choices for this as well.

I present the dish with the explanation that I'm eating a lot of raw food these days and I thought this side dish was really great and I hope you don't mind that I brought it along to try.

I think it's better than sitting there feeling deprived and/or making yourself feel uncomfortable. Don't worry for even a second – it's just one meal. You might get across the idea that eating raw isn't an "all or nothing" and that might persuade people to try it.

See my website for more recipes and info on how to try a raw food diet.

~ Sonia

Happy summertime parties to you – Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This salad is a HUGE hit with people and it's one of the salads from my Summer Sampler Cookbook

Mesclun Salad With Shaved Pear
2 large handfuls of lettuce
One pear
1/4 c Walnuts
2tsp Agave

Dressing
2T olive oil
1T orange juice
2tsp Agave
rock salt to taste

Walnuts: If you have a toaster over, spread walnuts out on tray or foil, coat with Agave and toast on lightest setting. If you don't have a toaster oven, let walnuts soak in Agave while you prepare salad. Top salad w. walnuts just before serving.

Pears:
Leave skin on and shave with peeler completely to form layered shavings.
Dressing: Combine and add to salad just before serving

Fresh Summer Salads

How does combining a salad with a sandwich sound? Pretty good? That is what you are going to do if you decide to try out this recipe! Why would you do this? Because it is not only fast, like a salad is, but the increased meatiness of a sandwich makes this a fast AND filling meal. Perfect if you want to get a quick meal, but know you will not get a chance to eat for a long time.

The ingredients for a great salad sandwich are as follows: Cucumber, tomato, green onion, sprouts, cream cheese, spinach. For dressing, use mayonnaise (or whatever else, delicious thing, you can think of).

"What?", you say, "no amounts?". Realize that this is all about making a quick meal (that fills you up). This is not rocket science. If you like tomato a lot, take a lot of tomatoes. If you do not like tomatoes, perhaps skip them, or take a lot of something else to drown the taste of tomato. Just use your common sense.

Do you need to be careful with the ingredients you use when you make a salad sandwich? What does your gut sense tell you..? Of course you do not have to be careful -- you just take whatever you like and mix it, and put it on a sandwich. Following a recipe, to perfection, will not do anything for you if the ingredients do not do anything for you....Or, it could happen, but it is probably an exception.

But I will give you an example of ingredients you can use to make your salad sandwich. Just for the hell of it!

The directions are super simple.

Potato Salad With Bacon

Do you like potato salad? I really hope you do - as everyone should. If not, realize it can be endlessly varied (if you have read some of my earlier recipes you know I say this a lot but that is because it is so important; variation can make anyone passionate about and interested in cooking). If your view of potato salad is "nothing special", and that is IT - then you are surely missing opportunities to really satisfy your tastebuds.

These are the directions for this, potentially awesome, recipe:

Peel, then slice and boil potatoes until they are cooked. Drain, let cool.

Cook bacon until it suits you - or until it is crispy. Then drain the grease off it and let cool.

Are the potatoes cool? If not - wait until they are, and then put them in a larger bowl. After this, get a knife and cut them into small pieces.

For this dish, you need:
6-8 bacon slices
6-8 potatoes
Any colour of bell pepper - 1/2, chopped
Green onion - 3-4, chopped
Celery stick - 1, chopped
Garlic - 1-2 cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing, this is what you need:
Ranch dressing - 1/4 cup
Mayonnaise - 1/2 cup

If the bacon is cool, crumble - and add it to bowl.

Add, to the bowl, the chopped vegetables, salt & pepper and dressing.

Mix everything. Taste the salad. If it lacks flavour, perhaps add some more of the ranch dressing or salt.

Now, refrigerate a few hours and eat! Then enjoy your awesome potato salad meal as much as you possibly can. Spread it to your friends!