Wednesday, February 20, 1991 - North Shore News - 43 Changing Perceptions ALFALFA SPROUTS (along with granola and trail mix) are noted more for their role in the hippie movement than their actual culinary contribution. By Peggy Trendell-Whittaker News Reporter That perception is changing, however, as people from many walks of life become more nutri- tion conscious. Today, we are discovering that all sprouts, not just those of the alfalfa variety, add fibre, nutrients and textural interest to dishes. And sprouts are no longer con- fined to use in salads — you might want to add sprouted wheat berries to homemade bread dough or muffin batter, chickpeas to your casseroles, lentils to your soups or mung beans to your stir fries. Sprouts are also a bocn for dieters. Because the seeds use up some of their stored fat and car- bohydrate in the sprouting pro- cess, the resulting sprout has fewer calories than the original seed. Sprouts are rich in most vitamins, mineral and protein — often sprouts have more nutrients than their parent seeds, because nutrients are created as the seeds sprout. For maximum nutritional value, sprout soybeans, chickpeas and gardea peas to use in your casse- roles and salads — these ‘routs are rich in vitamins A, B complex, C and E, calcium, phosphorous and iron. Fortunately, harvesting crops of these wonder sprouts isn’t dif- ficult, time consuming or expen- sive. Sprouting machines are available in health food stores, but you can easily use materials found around your home instead. For mild, crunchy sprouts, look to mung and soybeans; cress, radish and mustard sprouts have a peppery flavor and the nutty fla- vor of buckwheat sprouts adds a new dimension to salads. While most sprouts can be eaten either raw or cooked, tough beans, soybean sprouts and barley should be steamed for a few minutes before eating. Other than the hard-shelled beans (i.e. kidney, lima), which should be steamed for 10 minutes before adding to recipes, any other sprouts need only be added to your recipes in the last few moments of cooking. 7 There are many ways to add sprouts NEWS photo Cindy Goodman ALFALFA SPROUTS are a popular addition to sandwiches, but there are many other uses for the nutritious sprouts that can be harvested from a wide variety of seeds and beans. Sprouts are easy to grow SPROUTING BEANS or seeds doesn’t take long — only a day or two for alfalfa sprouts, or up to a week for long mung bean sprouts. Follow these directions for a healthy harvest of tiny plants: © The beans or seeds you choose to sprout will expand greatly as they grow. On average, start with approxi- mately % cup. e Rinse and strain seeds, picking out any shrivelled, broken or discolored ones. ® Place rinsed seeds in glass jar and, with a string or rubber band, secure cheesecloth or a nylon stocking over the top. e Add lukewarm water — four times the amount of beans or seeds you have. Let soak unrefrigerated for eight hours in the summer or 12 hours in the winter. Remove any floating debris from the top of the water. eiInvert the jar and drain seeds thoroughly. Place jar on its side in a dark place. ¢ Rinse sprouting beans or seeds each day by running cold water through cheesecloth, swishing the sprouts around in the jar and draining thoroughly once again. When sprouting chickpeas or soybeans, rinse them four or more times per day. *To ‘‘green’’ the sprouts, put them in the daylight on the last growing day. «» When sprouts have reached desired length (at least as long as original seeds), pour into a bowl! and rinse to remove loose hulls if you desire. eStore drained sprouts, along with a moist paper towel or cloth, in the refrigerator in an airtight’ container. The sprouts should be moist but not wet. ¢ Sprouts should be eaten within two or three days, but may last up to one week. Just a pinch-reducing salt in cooking THE CONNECTION between sodium and high blood pressure is often in the news these days. And there’s great encourage- ment to curtail our appetite for salt, 2 compound of sodium and chlorine. We're often asked whether salt plays a more complex role in cooking than simply adding fla- vor. Heart month seems a fitting time to discuss reducing salt in cooking. Our bodies actually require so- dium to regulate fluid balance. But the required amount may be as low as 200 milligrams, the amount found in approximately one-fifteenth of a teaspoon af salt. appears the majority of peo- ple can consume eacess salt ail their lives and remain unattected. But for an estimated FO per cent, Inquisitive Cook l a ANNE GARDINER WILSON high sodium intake promotes high blood pressure, increasing the risk of strokes or heart attacks. Salt is well known for its asser- tive character. But it also heightens the innate flavors of foods. Even icings sometimes call for a pinch of salt. Most often, salt can be reduced or even omitted. Loss of flavor and sometimes slight changes in texture are an acceptable trade-off to the committed salt reducer. Some foods actually benefit from less sali. We recommend omitting salt in egg foams for meringues and souffles since salt promotes coagulation, increasing whipping time and decreasing the volume and stability of the foam. Water and most foods naturally contain salt, with animal sources containing more than vevetables. And beets, carrots, celery, chard, kale, spinach and corn are twice as salty as other vegetables, so with these you can lighten your hand on the salt shaker. Vegetables cooked without salt may be slightly less firm in texture since salt draws out moisture by osmosis. On the other hand, that moisture content is retained when salt is omitted. Salt raises the boiling point of water by one or two degrees. So vegetables and pasta ceoked in boiling water without salt may take an oextra few minutes to cook, since they’re cooking at a slightly reduced temperature. In yeast breads, the role of sult is more complex. Anyone who has tried eliminating salt knows that yeast. doughs rise very quickly without it. Salt slows the rate at which yeast: ferments to produce carbon dioxide. Doughs made without salt can also be sticky and difficult to handle since salt retards the action of enzymes which break down gluten (responsible for the elastici- ty of the dough). In yeast breads, therefore, it’s preferable to retain the salt. The amount needed is roughly one teaspoon (five mL) of salt for a one pound (500 g) loaf. If you're keen to reduce this amount, the quantity of yeast should be reduc- ed by half. Apparently our liking for salt is acquired (while it appears we're born with our affinity for sugar). Our tastebuds will adjust to less within two months. And reditcing salt gives ous heartfelt. reasons to learn more about enhancing flavor with herbs and spices.