Posted on 10/15/2015 12:33:51 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
I used to work near a little 'hippie' co-op food store, and would frequently buy my lunch there. My favorite lunch was a sandwich of whole grain bread, a shmear of hummus, slice of cheese, tomato slices, mayo - and a big blob of alfalfa sprouts. At the time, I had no idea how nutritious those sprouts were, I just liked the freshness and crunch of them, and alfalfa sprouts remained a favorite addition to sandwiches.
Since then I've learned that sprouts - and microgreens - are among the most nutritious things that we can eat, and that they are very easy to grow in a home kitchen. The seeds store easily and have an amazing shelf-life, which should make them very interesting to the 'preppers' among us - fresh, highly nutritious greens, almost 'on-demand', without the need for a garden! (I recently read that the seeds can actually be frozen, to extend that long shelf life even further, which was a surprise to me; it's something I want to experiment with, and compare germination rates with unfrozen ones.)
One of the places where we purchase seeds has a guide to storing and shelf life of the various seeds:
https://sproutpeople.org/growing-sprouts/sprouting-basics/seed-storage/
About the same time that I was frequenting the hippie store for my lunches, a friend of mine became interested in the 'Fit for Life' diet/health approach, and gave me the Diamonds' first book:
http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Life-Harvey-Diamond/dp/0446553646
While I never became a devotee of the entire plan, there were lots of great recipes in the book, and one of my favorites was this, which they called:
'Award Winning Potato-Lover's Salad'
6 red-skinned new potatoes
2 T. Butter
1/2 tsp. sea salt or seasoned salt
1/4 tsp paprika
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped and steamed until just tender
4 cups head lettuce, chopped
2 cups spinach, chopped
2 cups red cabbage, finedly shredded
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
Dressing:
1 large clove garlic, minced finely or crushed
2 tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 to 2 T. mayonnaise
Place potatoes whole and unpeeled in a vegetable steamer, covered, over boiling water for 20 minutes or until almost tender.
Remove potatoes from heat and quarter or cut into 1/2 inch cubes (peeling is optional). Place in large bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan and pout over potatoes; toss well. Add sea salt and paprika, mix well, and place in one layer on a cookie sheet. Broil for 5 to 10 minutes.
Place lettuce and spinach in a large bowl, add sprouts (separated so they don't clump). Add the shredded cabbage. Cut the broccoli lengthwise into thin slivers and add to greens.
For the dressing, peel the garlic and crush or mince; place garlic in a measuring cup, add lemon or lime juice, salt, olvie oil and herbs. Whisk in mayonnaise, and whip the dressing until thick and creamy. Pout over salad and toss well.
Add the potatoes to the top of the salad and season with salt and pepper if desired. Serves 2. _________________________________________________________
The following video shows how to sprout seeds at home:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmKctMME_xc
(My one reservation is that I wouldn't suggest a beginner start with a seed 'mix'. We have not had the best luck with those, because of the different sizes and germination rates of the seeds in many mixes. So far, we grow one type in each jar.)
Lastly, here is a Mung Bean Sprout/Mango salad that I haven't tried yet, but which looks very good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXWFm80VOc4
Creamy Lemon-Lime Cake
BATTER elec/mixer/moisten on low pkg Pillsbury® Key Lime Cake
Mix, 1 1/4 c water, 2 tb Canola Oil, 3 lge eggs; then beat 2 min on med.
BAKE in sprayed oblong 350 deg 25-30 min (pick test). Cool 10 min.
Poke holes inch apart almost to bottom w/ wooden spoon handle.
Pour Lemon Cream over slowly; spread rest over top. Chill an hour.
FINAL Pipe top w/ dollops of Lime Cream. Garnish w/ lemon zest; lemon curls.
LEMON CREAM Stir 14 oz can sweet/cond/milk, 1/3 cup h/cream, 1/4 c l/juice.
LIME CREAM ICING Beat 16 oz tub Pillsbury® Creamy Key Lime
Frosting into 2/3 c sweetened/stiff-beaten whipped cream.
Pipe mounds on top w/ ziplok.
Thanks very much for this good advice.
Can you tell us your favorite sprouting system? We’ve tried several, and always go back to the mason jars (small household). The tiered system that drips water down through the trays seems especially prone to mold in our experience.
I’d like to get them to grow straight up, or at least end up that way, like the little boxes you buy in the store; but nothing I’ve tried will do that...
Thank you again,
JT
I saw that and knew it belonged on the cooking thread.
LOL Ground Beef stroganoff. Have made something similar in the past. With the addition of sour cream the dish does reach a new level. Sour Cream makes all the difference. And it’s a given when serving ...NOODLES. You’re talking to a egg noodle freak here :-) A meal might be made with cooked egg noodles, butter, s/p a bit of cheese and splash of sour cream. A Heaven sent dish
Had never eaten the Hebrew hot dog until a few years ago. There is SOME difference in quality of this brand compared to others. Made all the difference in the world and status to claim “I’m a hot dog lover, after all”
Sounds good but why use butter instead of the rendered fat from the ground beef to make the sauce?
I got hooked on them many years ago when they were still kosher.
A grocery chain in Richmond, VA carried a lot of kosher foods. They were having a store cook out and I got invited.
I had to know the brand of hot dog and bought two packs before I left the store.
Since ConAgra bought the company they did away with the Rabbinical inspection, from what I understand, but kept everything else the same.
Even though they are made in the same plant as before, using the same meats and processes, there is no Rabbi on premises so they can’t carry the Rabbinical Stamp of Approval.
At least that’s what ConAgra told me.
Well, I don’t think we’re obsessive, really; but there are lots of great cooks (and some real chefs) on FR, and they believe in doing it up right ;-)
-JT
Blessed or no, they are still the ‘go to’ Having the name unchanged, leads one to believe they were still Kosher. Rather deceiving ya’ might say unless consumers were up to date on the market situation. Kosher or not, they are some of the best (IMHO)
Yes they are the best.
The kosher mark is easy to spot on most products, so I really don’t have a problem with it. But I’m not Jewish.
The original owners didn’t have the financial muscle of ConAgra.
I don’t think HN went far outside the Jewish areas until ConAgra.
Best dogs in the world, by far.
I’ve never tried the drip-through system. Tubs that had to be carried over to the sink to rinse and drain twice a day was about as fancy as I ever got. I didn’t even poke drainage holes, I just used the lids they came with.
If you want something like the boxes in the store, start with the box. Any tupperware will work, just remember the lid should be set loosely so the sprouts can breathe. If you’re carefull when rinsing them, the roots will lock together around the 3rd or 4th day, forming a dense mat. Pick a side of the mat to be the top, and make sure it always faces up after you’re done rinsing. That’s how the ones at the store end up looking that way.
I forgot to add this under #4, it goes along with knowing your sprouts. Some plants release a growth inhibitor when they sprout. It gives them an edge over the competition, but in a sprouting tray, that competition is your other sprouts. For those, rinse 4 times a day for the first 3 days, and rinse until the water runs clear. After about 3 days you can go back to twice a day, but the water still has to run clear.
Kale is the only one I can remember that does this, but I’m sure there are others.
PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM
METHOD Proc/puree 3/4 c p/butter, 3/4 cup plus 2 tb sugar, 2 2/3 cup
HnH, pinch salt, 1/8 tsp vanilla. Chill thoroughly, then freeze as per mfg.
JELLY BELLY COOKIES
METHOD Elec/mixer cream/light/fluffy a few min cup butter, 3/4 cup
sugar, 3/8 tsp salt. Beat in smooth 1 1/2 large egg yolks, teaspoon vanilla.
Gradually mix in / combine well 2 1/3 c flour. Form level teaspoons of
48 dough balls; set inch apart on parchmented sheetpans. Indent tops w/
thumb; fill with 1/4 tsp fave jam or preserves.
Bake 350 deg 12-14 min (edges begin to color). Cool completely on sheetpans.
SERVE Sprinkled w/ conf. Store airtight.
Thank You! I will try that.
-JT
A short note to someone who may/may not still be lurking around the Cooking Thread. There was a SHRIMP CASSEROLE posted sometime back. Shrimp, rice, cream of celery soup, made with cheese,breadcrumbs on top and sauteed celery, lots of garlic with the sauteed shrimp.
Sorry, unable to find that recipe at the moment...but a word. DELICIOUS. Had no fresh celery so sub was frozen green peas and it turned into a fast dinner that my mate couldn’t stop eating LOL. Hot bread and a tossed salad along for the ride and we had a scrumptious meal in a matter of just a few minutes. So sorry I failed to note the original poster, but you’ll know who you are :) Thanks much!
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