Spouting Off About Sprouts

By Colleen Walsh Fong

Why are Americans on a sprouts kick?

It’s simple. We’re a nation of faddists. From 1920’s beaver coats and twenty-three skidoo, to 1950’s hula-hoops, 1960’s lava lamps, 1970’s disco dancing, 1980’s Rubik’s cubes, 1990’s Pokeman cards, or twenty first century Crocs, we love things intensively for a short period of time and then put them down.

Fads are a part of our collective personality and they seep into every aspect of our lives including leisure, education, business, and even childrearing. With the attention span of fruit flies we flit from one craze to the next. And our national short memory allows us to revive fads and bring them back again, as in the case of the linebacker shoulder pads of 1940’s women’s power suits which reappeared in the 1980’s to prove that recycling is not always a good thing.

We embrace food faddism too. In the 1950’s and 60’s food fads concentrated on making our chores quicker and easier. So premade, powdered, and frozen foods were all the rage. Healthy properties have dominated our food trends in more recent decades, as baby boomers became the over-thirty pariahs they’d demonized and tried to stare down their mortality with food and lifestyle fountains of youth.

These days America is definitely on a sprouts kick. And that’s a good thing because sprouts are delicious and filled with good nutrition. So I fully embrace buying and eating them and using them to make yummy food. But, as with everything, I like to caution moderation. Don’t assign miraculous properties to sprouts. Eat them along with lots of other clean, fresh foods like preservative-free proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Check out some of the nutritional properties of sprouts here, along with a yummy sprout salad recipe, and then give the following delicious recipe a try. It’s a good way to have some fun with brown or other unprocessed rice, and a clever way to use rice leftovers while enjoying the health benefits of sprouts.

Brown Rice and Sprouts Salad

Ingredients

· 2 C Brown or Mixed Unprocessed Rice, cooked and cooled (Lundgren Countrywild or Jubilee mixes work well)

· 2 Scallions, cut into 1/8” slices

· 1/2 C Fresh Edamame, shelled

· 1/2 C Sunny Creek Farm Organic Crunchy Mix of Adzuki, Lentil, and Pea Sprouts

· 1/4 C Alfalfa and Radish Sprouts

· 1/4 C Clover Sprouts

· 1/4 C Broccoli Sprouts

· 1/3 C Sesame Ginger Dressing

Procedure

· Toss rice, scallions, edamame, and all sprouts in a large mixing bowl until blended.

· Drizzle dressing over bowl ingredients and toss to coat.

· Serve as a salad entrée, or as a healthy and delicious side.

Sprout up a new food fad in your household by enjoying the fabulous flavor and good nutrition of this versatile dish!

Featured Image Courtesy of Easy Weekly Meals

Colleen is the author of 3 touchscreen cookbooks that do everything but the cooking for you. Check them out and find free recipes and helpful cooking and food info here.