Tasty, Sprout-inspired Recipes
Noodle Soup with Coconut, Sprouts and Shoots
This soup is a favorite in our home. Simple to make, it’s warming thanks to just the right amount of bite from the chili.
Yield: 4 servings
1 8¾ oz pack of noodles
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 carrot
2 tsp red curry paste
Canola oil, for frying
1 13½ oz can coconut milk
1 tsp tomato purée
2 Tbsp fish sauce (or Japanese
soy sauce)
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tsp sugar
1¼ cups water
2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 red bell pepper
About 7 oz mung bean sprouts
Pea and radish shoots, for garnish
Prepare the noodles according to the instructions on the package. Drain off the water, and mix the noodles with the oil.
Peel and thinly slice the carrot. In a saucepan, cook the curry paste and carrot in some oil for about 1 minute.
Add in the coconut milk, tomato purée, fish sauce, stock cube, sugar and water, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add in the lime juice.
Halve, seed and julienne the bell pepper; add it to the soup. Divide the noodles between the bowls, add the soup and sprinkle with sprouts and shoots.
Green Smoothie Bowl
Here’s a recipe that contains both sprouts and shoots. The buckwheat provides a little extra satiety. Top the bowl with some poppy seeds, grated coconut, nuts and berries.
Yield: 2 bowls
Approx. 1¼ cup mild, tender shoots such as broccoli, chia, pea or sunflower
2 frozen bananas
3½ oz frozen mango, diced
2 Tbsp buckwheat sprouts
6¾ oz mild plain yogurt (3 percent) or coconut or almond milk
Hemp hearts, poppy seeds, grated coconut, nuts and frozen red and/or black currants, for topping
Blend shoots, bananas, mango, sprouted buckwheat and yogurt until smooth using a countertop or immersion blender.
Pour into bowls and top with hemp hearts, poppy seeds, nuts, coconut and berries.
Sprouted Hummus
Every Middle Eastern family has their own recipe for hummus. Naturally, there has to be a sprouted version of it, too. With a jar of hummus in the refrigerator, I can always cobble together some kind of dish for lunch or dinner.
Yield: about 6.75 fluid oz (nearly 1 cup)
7 oz sprouted chickpeas (or yellow peas)
1 garlic clove
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ tsp sambal oelek
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
4 Tbsp olive oil
Put the sprouted peas in a small saucepan and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the peas for 10 minutes. Pour off the water.
Peel and finely chop the garlic. Mix the peas in a food processor or with an immersion blender, along with the garlic, tahini, lemon juice, sambal oelek, cumin, salt and oil. Dilute with some water if the hummus seems too thick.
Option: Turmeric adds a nice yellow color to hummus. But sample the hummus as you add it in—some enjoy the taste of turmeric, others less so. Start with ½ teaspoon per recipe.
Recipes excerpted from Sprouts, Shoots & Microgreens: Tiny Plants to Grow and Eat in Your Home Kitchen, by Lina Wallentinson. Photography by Lennart Weibull.