It's simple to grow fresh sprouts in a glass jar on the kitchen counter, and the health benefits of consuming them make an indoor sprout garden worthwhile. Getting kids or reluctant vegetable eaters of any age to munch on sprouts can be another story. But sprouts are accommodating vegetables and a blender can deliver all that nutrition to the whole family with a few creative recipes. Pulverizing sprouts in a blender may increase their nutritional value as well as their availability.
Seeds to Sprouts
Sprouts release and amplify the nutrition packed into seeds. Those tiny alfalfa seeds and fat mung beans hold carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, proteins and healthy oils that are easy to consume when sprouted and make good substitutes for leafy greens in sandwiches and salads. The health advantages are just as beneficial when the sprouts disappear into homemade salsa or pesto. So, the concentrated nutrition in crunchy, not-so-edible seeds becomes an unremarkable ingredient in a familiar recipe that's a family favorite.
Blend Your Broccoli
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions found that 3-day-old broccoli sprouts can deliver high amounts of the cancer-fighting substance sulphoraphane, reports ScienceNews. Mature broccoli plants contain small amounts of the compound used by the body to make sulphoraphane. Crushing the seeds or sprouts releases the compound and creates the enzymes that can help to prevent cancer. The sprouts don't even have a broccoli flavor -- good news for broccoli haters who can still benefit from the vegetable. Add broccoli sprouts to a green smoothie to get the most value from their protective properties.
Sip Your Soy
Soybeans are a wonder food. They have all of the essential macronutrients: complete proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In addition, soybeans deliver iron, calcium and other nutrients in significant measure. The National Soybean Research Laboratory says soybeans are as rich a source of protein as meats and milk and they offer more protein than many other legumes and animal foods. Soybean sprouts are good sources of vitamins A, B, and C and you can eat them raw or cooked. So soy sprouts in a green smoothie or blended into spaghetti sauce are valuable nutrition for vegetarians, vegans and anyone who wants to make every calorie count.
Mung Bean Mush
Mung bean sprouts are what most people think of when they hear "beansprouts." The fat, crunchy sprouts are favorites in Chinese dishes and salad bars and have a mild flavor with high water content. That makes them easy to pop in the blender for tasty recipes. Mung bean sprouts digest easily and are high in calcium, protein and phosphorus. In tropical regions where there are shortages of animal protein, mung is a valuable protein substitute. Sprout your own mung seeds for an inexpensive, safe, healthy ingredient to add to hummus, bread, soup and sauce recipes. Use blended mung bean sprouts in a sandwich spread and then add some crunch with whole sprouts for extra nutrition.
References
- ScienceNews; Anticancer Agent Sprouts Up Unexpectedly; J. Raloff; September 1997
- Virginia Cooperative Extension; Sprouting Seeds for Food; Diane Relf; May 2009
- University of Illinois National Soybean Research Laboratory: Soybean Nutrition
- Purdue University Consumer Horticulture; Mungbean; E. S. Oplinger, et al.
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