Nothing makes me as happy as the news that the raw food culture is to ever wider circles of health conscious people. Sometimes my own colleagues surprise me with their own recipes.
This particular recipe was inspired by my Spanish colleague Jordi. He sprouted lentils for two days, added olive oil and salt. I decided to add a little something to make it even more nutritious.
Lentils are incredibly nutritious, but like all the other legumes they contain naturally occurring toxins and anti-nutrients such as lectins, trypsin inhibitors, and phytic acid. These substances interfere with nutrient absorption. This is the reason why lentils (beans, nuts and grains) must be soaked before consumption. Soaking activates enzymes that are able to neutralize anti-nutrients and toxins. It makes nutrients available to human organism and makes lentils better digestible.
I added red onions, leek, fresh coriander and lime juice to my salad. All these ingredients comes with incredible health benefits: among others, red onions contain potent anti-cancer and anti-inflammation compounds; leeks can help reduce cholesterol levels in serum and remove excess uric acid from the body; coriander helps detoxify heavy metals; lime juice helps digestion, helps balance cholesterol and blood sugar.
Lentils are incredibly nutritious, but like all the other legumes they contain naturally occurring toxins and anti-nutrients such as lectins, trypsin inhibitors, and phytic acid. These substances interfere with nutrient absorption. This is the reason why lentils (beans, nuts and grains) must be soaked before consumption. Soaking activates enzymes that are able to neutralize anti-nutrients and toxins. It makes nutrients available to human organism and makes lentils better digestible.
I added red onions, leek, fresh coriander and lime juice to my salad. All these ingredients comes with incredible health benefits: among others, red onions contain potent anti-cancer and anti-inflammation compounds; leeks can help reduce cholesterol levels in serum and remove excess uric acid from the body; coriander helps detoxify heavy metals; lime juice helps digestion, helps balance cholesterol and blood sugar.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sprouted lentils
- 1/2 cup chopped red onions
- 1/2 cup chopped leek
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 1/2 limes
- 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
- generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
Method:
- Mix all the ingredients in a large bow.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge. Allow the salad to rest for at least 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the salad from the fridge and serve in individual salad bowls or use it as a nutritious garnish for leafy green salads, vegan burgers, soups, or sandwiches.
- If this salad seem too plain to you you can add chopped cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, or radishes. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy it in good company!
How to Sprout Lentils?
- Take a large bowl or a jar. Add 1 cup lentils.
- Rinse the lentils.
- Pour enough water to cover lentils completely.
- Soak the lentils for at least 12 hours to rehydrate them and start the germination.
- Drain all the water and rinse the lentils. Allow to germinate for 8 hours.
- Rinse the lentils with purified water. Drain and allow to germinate for 8 hours.
- Rinse and drain again. Allow to germinate for another 8 hours.
- You can repeat this process until you are completely satisfied with your sprouts. Remember, the longer the sprouts the bigger jar you should chose for sprouting.
- Once your sprouts are ready, rinse and drain them. Transfer ready sprouts into a clean glass container and cover with a lid. Store in the fridge for up to one week.
Keep things very clean in order not to contaminate the sprouts. One cup of lentils should produce at least 2 cups of sprouts.
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2014
Dominique Allmon©2014