Sprout Nutrition Information and ways to use sprouts.

This information was collected from various websites about 4 or 5 years ago.

Alfalfa

Contains significant dietary sources of phytoestrogens connected with prevention of menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease.  One of the most popular sprouts, is a good source of vitamins A, B, C, D, E, F, and K and is rich in many minerals, as well as many enzymes needed for digestion.

Broccoli

Has a mildly peppery flavor.  They are also high in the cancer fighting compound, sulforaphane.

Buckwheat
High in vitamins A, B, C and D.

Lentil

Rich in protein, vitamin C and the B vitamins. They have a mild ground pepper flavor.  They are 26% protein.  They can be cooked or eaten raw. 

Radish

Has 29 times more vitamin C than milk and 4 times the vitamin A.  There spicy sprouts have 10 times more calcium than a potato and contain more vitamin C than pineapple.

Red Clover

Contains the most significant dietary sources of isoflavones of any sprout variety.  Isoflavones have been proven to have powerful anti-cancer properties.

Sunflower

A rich source of lecithin and vitamins B, D and E.  It is known for its crispness and nutty flavor.  It breaks down fatty acids into an easily digestible, water soluble form

Mustard

Characterized by their tiny, spicy leaves.  They are delicate, but very spicy.

Onion

Distinct onion flavor without the tears or waste.  26% protein and a good source of vitamins A, C, and D.

Mung Bean

These sprouts should be sprouted under pressure to produce long and juicy sprouts. Mung bean sprouts are an excellent source of protein, vitamin C, A and E, along with many minerals..

Soybean

An extremely rich source of protein and vitamins A, B, C and E. Soybeans are rich in minerals and lecithin. They can be sprouted under pressure like mung beans.

Wheat 
High in Vitamins B, C, and E and has three times the vitamin E of dry wheat. Wheat also has many minerals.

Do Not eat tomato or potato sprouts as they are poisonous. 

Ways to use sprouts:

Add to tossed salads

Use in coleslaw (cabbage, clover, radish)

Try in potato salad (mung bean, lentil)

Try in wraps and roll-ups (alfalfa, sunflower, radish)

Stir-fry with other vegetables (alfalfa, clover, radish, mung bean, lentil)

Blend into fruit shakes or juices (cabbage, mung bean, lentil)

Blend with vegetable juices (cabbage, mung bean, lentil)

Replace celery in sandwich spreads (lentil, radish)

Mix with soft cheeses for a dip (mung bean, radish)

Grind up and use in sandwich spreads (lentil, radish)

Top grilled cheese sandwiches after grilling (alfalfa, clover)

Stir into soups or stews when serving (mung bean, lentil)

Mix into pancake or waffle batter (buckwheat)

Eat them fresh and uncooked in a sprout salad (salad mixes)

Top omelet or scrambled eggs (alfalfa, clover, radish)

Combine in rice dishes (fenugreek, lentil, mung bean)

Add to sushi (radish, sunflower)

Saute with onions (mung bean, clover, radish)

Puree with peas or beans (mung bean, lentil)

Add to baked beans (lentil)

Steam and serve with butter (mung bean, lentil)

Use in sandwiches instead of lettuce (alfalfa, clover, radish)

Add to homemade bread (wheat)

My favorite ways to use sprouts are:
Add any kind to any green salad
Replace lettuce in a sandwich
Add a few alfalfa sprouts to a cheese sandwich (not grilled cheese)
Tacos made with whole wheat tortillas and alfalfa sprouts instead of lettuce

March Preparedness 2014: How to Grow Sprouts

How to Grow Sprouts *

Here are the sprout seed packages I bought at Whole Food.

I am adding 1 Tablespoon of seeds to each jar.  These are Alfalfa sprout seeds.

Place 1 to 2 Tablespoons of seeds into a 1 quart jar. 

Cover seeds with tepid water.  Sunday evening. Day 1

Cover jar with a porous fabric.  I used a layer of nylon from pantyhose stretched tight over the jar opening and secured with a canning ring on two jars. One layer of nylon from pantyhose stretched tight over the jar opening and secured with a small elastic band stretched tight on the third one and the last jar has four layers of cheese cloth secured with a small elastic band stretched tight. Let seeds soak for 8 to 12 hour.

Here is a close-up of the third jar.  Make sure the nylon is stretched tight or the water will not drain.  I like using the wide mouth jars best.

The elastic band works better than the canning ring, because you can pull the nylon after the elastic band in on.  It is hard to stretch the nylon, hold it tight and put the ring on.  Plus the ring will often make holes in the nylon.

Here is the jar with the 4 layers of cheese cloth.  This is the first time I have used cheese cloth and now after using it I have decided I like this method best.

Drain and rinse with tepid water.  Drain again. Rinse and drain the seeds twice a day with tepid water for 5 to 7 days or until the first set of leaves appear. Monday morning. Day 2

Lay jars on their side. Cover the jars with a towel away from sunlight and heat, but leave the top end uncovered so air can get in. I leave mine on the counter close to the sink so I don't forget them.  Some people place theirs in a cupboard.

Tuesday morning after rinsing and draining. Day 3

 Place the jars on their side and shake them so the seeds spread out. Tuesday morning still.

 Wednesday morning after rinsing and draining. Day 4

Thursday morning after rinsing and draining. Day 5

Shake the jars to spread out the seed/sprouts every day. Thursday morning still.

Friday morning after rinsing and draining.  Day 6

Shake the jars to spread out the seed/sprouts every day. Friday morning still.
These could have been left uncovered today, but I was in a hurry and out of habit covered them.

Saturday morning after rinsing and draining.  Day7

When the leaves appear, rinse and drain twice a day, but do not cover the sprouts.  The light will allow them to turn green.  Do this for another day or two. Saturday morning still.

Here is a close-up of the Alfalfa sprouts Saturday morning.

This is the next morning after leaving uncovered for 24 hours.  Sunday morning. Day 8
Rinse one last time and drain well.  They can now go in the refrigerator and will last about a week.

There will be seed hulls from most types of sprouts.  You can put the sprouts into a large bowl of tepid water and the hulls will sink or float, but most will come away from the sprouts.  You can remove them if you don't like them.  I wait until I am ready to put the sprouts in the refrigerator.  I pull out a section of sprouts.  Rinse them under running tepid water and place them in a resealable bag.  I repeat this until all the sprouts are out of the jar and in the bag.  Wide mouth jars are a lot easier to get your hand into to remove the sprouts.

After they are in the bag you will see more water.  Remove that water too.

I zip the bag closed except for the last inch or two and drain out the remaining water.  Finish zipping closed and place in the refrigerator.  Rinse and drain every 2 to 4 days.  They will keep at least a week.

They can be kept in the jars, but I find that they take up too much room and dry out too fast.

*These sprouting instructions do not apply to wheat, mung bean, lentils, and probably a few others I haven't grown.  More about sprouting them later.

Note:  March 8 and we are still eating fresh sprouts.  Today I added 2 layers of paper towels to one side of the bag and laid that side down.  The sprouts were wetter than I like them, but no water was draining out of the bag.

Growing Sprouts Preperation

Get prepared to learn how to grow sprouts in March.  They are very nutritious and taste great.  The only place I can find sprout seeds in Reno/Sparks is at Whole Foods this time of year.  They are in packages on the spinner rack with the seeds to plant.  When they are gone they are gone, so go get some now or you can always order them on-line.  I personally think they should be available in the fall when it is too cold to grow anything outside.  They are great in sandwiches when lettuce is expensive.  But what do I know. My opinion doesn't count when it comes to what is available in stores.

February 2014 - Emergency Ingredient Substitutions

Here is the ingredient substitutions I found the most useful.  I created it in Word and everything lines up perfectly.  I copied and pasted it to this post and it looks pretty good.  The published post looks terrible.  I will work on making it look better later.  Hope you can figure out the information as it is.

Emergency Ingredient Substitutions

Ingredient                             Amount                 Substitutions

Allspice                                  1 tsp                       1/2 tsp cinnamon plus 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Baking powder,                       1 tsp                       1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar and 1/4 tsp cornstarch or

      double acting                                                  1/4 tsp baking soda plus 5/8 tsp cream of tartar

Butter                                    1 cup                      7/8  to 1 cup hydrogenated shortening plus 1/2 tsp salt or

                                                                           7/8 cup lard plus 1/2 tsp salt or

                                                                           7/8 cup oil plus 1/2 tsp salt

Catsup                                   1 cup                      1 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp vinegar (for use in cooking)

Chocolate, unsweetened         1 oz                         3 Tbsp cocoa plus 1 Tbsp butter or fat

                    semisweet                                        1 oz unsweetened chocolate plus 4 tsp sugar

Cornstarch                            1 Tbsp                     2 Tbsp flour

Corn syrup, light                    1 Cup                      1 cup granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup water or other liquid called for in recipe or

                                                                          1 cup honey

                      dark               1 cup                      3/4 cup light corn syrup plus 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses

Cracker crumbs                    3/4 cup                   1 cup dry bread crumbs

Cream, half & half                1 cup                      7/8 cup milk plus 1 1/2 Tbsp butter

              heavy                     1 cup                      3/4 cup milk plus 1/3 cup butter (for baking only, will not whip)

              sour                       1 cup                      1 cup buttermilk, sour milk, or yogurt or

                                                                         1 cup milk plus 1 1/2 Tbsp vinegar or

        1 1/8 cup powdered milk, 1/2 cup warm water and 1 Tbsp vinegar  
        (mixture will thicken in the refrigerator in a few hours)

             whipped                  2 cups                    1 cup chilled evaporated milk plus ½ tsp lemon juice, whipped until stiff

Cream of tartar                    1/2 tsp                    1 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar

Eggs whole, large                 1 egg                      2 1/2 Tbsp dried, sifted eggs plus 2 1/2 Tbsp water

                                                                         3 1/3 Tbsp frozen egg yolks, thawed

                                           (3 1/3 Tbsp)           1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 Tbsp vinegar, and 1 Tbsp liquid (in baking)

                                                                        1 egg in every 3 can be replaced with 1 Tbsp cornstarch in baking

        Soften 1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin in 3 Tbsp cold water; add 3 tsp boiling
       water; cool and beat until frothy; add to recipe (reduce other liquid by 2 
       Tbsp)

                Whites                (2 Tbsp)                   2 Tbsp frozen egg whites, thawed

                                          1 egg white               2 tsp dried egg white plus 2 Tbsp water

                Yolks                  (1 1/3 Tbsp)              4 tsp frozen egg yolks, thawed

                                           1 egg yolk                2 Tbsp dried egg yolks plus 2 tsp water

Flour, pastry                         1 cup                       7/8 cup all-purpose or bread flour

           cake                         1 cup                       7/8 cup all-purpose flour (1 cup less 2 Tbsp)

          white all-purpose        1 cup                       1 1/2 cup bread crumbs or

           for baking                                                 1 1/8 cups cake flour (1 cup plus 2 Tbsp) or

                                                                           7/8 cup rice flour or

                                                                           1 1/3 cups rolled oats or

                                                                           1 cup minus 1 Tbsp whole wheat flour

Garlic                                   1 clove, small           1/8 tsp garlic powder or instant minced garlic

Herbs, fresh                         1 Tbsp                     1 tsp dried

Honey                                 1 Cup                       1 1/4 cup sugar plus 1/4 cup liquid (use liquid called for in recipe)

Maple syrup                         about 2 cups            Combine 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water, bring to clear boil; take off heat;                                                                   add 1/2 tsp maple flavoring

Marshmallows, mini             1 cup                        10 large marshmallows

Milk, buttermilk or sour        1 cup                         1 cup minus 1 Tbsp sweet milk plus 1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice;
                                                                           let stand 5 minutes or

                                                                           1 cup sweet milk plus 1 1/4 – 1 3/4 tsp cream of tartar or

                                                                           1 cup plain yogurt

      whole                               1 cup                     1 cup of soy or almond or reconstituted dry milk or

                                                                           1 cup water plus 1 1/2 tsp butter for baking

     Sweetened condensed        1 cup                     combine 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp dry milk with 1/2 cup warm water and 
                                                                          3/4 cup sugar, mix well; may set pan in bowl of hot water to dissolve
                                                                           sugar

Mustard, dry                           1 tsp                       1 Tbsp prepared mustard

Nuts                                      1 cup                      1 cup rolled oats, browned (in baked products)

Onion                                    1 small                    1/4 cup fresh chopped or

                                                                           1 1/3 tsp onion salt or

                                                                           1 to 2 Tbsp instant minced onion

                                                                           1 tsp onion powder

Orange peel, dried              1 Tbsp                        2 or 3 Tbsp grated fresh orange peel (medium orange)

Peppers, bell fresh              1 medium                    1/4 cup dehydrated

                        dried          1 Tbsp                        3 Tbsp fresh bell pepper, chopped

Pumpkin pie spice               1 tsp                           1/2tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp allspice and 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Shortening, solid                  1 cup                         1 cup minus 2 Tbsp lard or

                                                                           1 cup butter or margarine (decrease salt in recipe by 1/2 tsp)

Sugar, brown                      1 cup                          1 cup granulated sugar or

                                                                           1 cup granulated sugar plus 2 Tbsp unsulphured molasses

           granulated               1 cup                          1 1/3 cups powdered sugar (for uses other than baking) or

                                                                           13/16 cup honey (1 cup less 3 Tbsp); reduce liquid in recipe by 3
                                                                           Tbsp

            powdered                 1 cup                       1 cup sugar plus 1/2 tsp cornstarch, blend in blender until powdered

Tomatoes, fresh                    2 cups                     1 16-oz can, drained

                                           Chopped

                    Canned            1 cup                       1 1/3 cups diced tomatoes simmered 10 minutes

Tomato juice                         1 cup                      1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water

Tomato sauce                       2 cups                     3/4 cup tomato paste plus 1 cup water

Tomato soup                         1 10 3/4                   1 cup tomato sauce plus 1/4 cup water

                                                oz. can

Worcestershire sauce           1 tsp                         1 tsp bottled steak sauce

Yeast, active dry (1/4 oz)      1 pkg                        2 1/2 tsp dry yeast or 1 compressed yeast cake

Yogurt                                 1 cup                        1 cup cottage cheese, blended until smooth or

                                                                           1 cup sour cream