Sprouted Lentils

Last week, I tried something new, sprouted lentils. Just like the green onions, my kids were delighted to see how fast these grew! (Eight times their original size.) Sprouted lentils can be eaten raw or cooked; and, they are incredibly frugal. The one pint jar above only cost about 8 cents. They are crunchy and tasted like fresh peas.  We ate them as a salad with chopped carrots, sliced green onions, and tossed in a lite vinaigrette. However, my kids preferred them plain, eaten with their hands. (I will probably not serve them in a salad like this again.)

Next time, I will allow my lentils to sprout an additional day. I will also use a colander to hold my lentils instead of the canning jar. This way I can rinse them more easily and sprout more at a time. Finally, I think that instead of using them as the main ingredient for a salad, I will serve them as a topping for a lettuce salad or as part of a filling for a sandwich wrap. If you have additional recipes for sprouted lentils, I would love for you to share them in the comments below!

Sprouted Lentils

¼ cup dry lentils

A one pint canning jar with mesh lid or cheese cloth

Water

On day one, pour lentils into jar and fill with water. Cover with mesh lid or with cheese cloth held on with band.  Soak overnight.  On day two, drain the water, and prop jar up on its side to continue draining. On day three, rinse the lentils by filling the jar with water and immediately draining it out. Again, prop the jar on its side to continue draining. Rinse and drain again on days four, and five. On day five, the lentils will look like mine, pictured above, and are ready to eat. Sprouted lentils can be stored in the refrigerated for several days for future use.

This post has been linked to Try New Adventures Thursday!

Green Onion Update

My green onion adventure is going really well. Pictured above is the bunch that I planted last week. I have also grown a second set of onions that still need to be planted, and I have just started growing a third batch.  With three sets of green onions growing on my kitchen window sill, all at different stages, I should have enough to keep up with the demand (we typically eat two bunches a week).

My grocery store sells bunches of green onions for $.68 each. This is a savings of $1.36 per week, or $70.72 per year. And, the side benefit is that I have something green and alive hanging out in my kitchen. With this success, I have some other indoor produce that I would like to try, but I will keep my plans a surprise lest my black thumb reappears!

Need some recipes for those green onions? Try one of these:

Asian Chicken Salad

Mandarin Almond Salad

Leafy Greens with Poppy Seed Dressing

This post has been linked to Try New Adventures Thursday!

  

Green Onions

I have a confession: I have a black thumb, and I kill plants. I desperately want to reverse this dilemma though. I want to have lush houseplants, a beautiful array of spring blossoms, and a garden full of fresh produce.  But, this is not the case. With that said, I have some spectacular news! I grew these green onions, all by myself. We ate them for dinner last night. They were simple, frugal, and oh so tasty in our salad. Is it possible that my thumb is beginning to turn green, maybe just a little bit?

To grown your own green onions, you need a bunch purchased from the grocery store. Cut off the green tops, leaving about 3 inches on the root end, and toss the tops into your favorite salad. Or, try this Mandarin Almond Salad. Then, with the rubber band still on the bottom of the onions, place them in a jar of water. Replace the water daily and watch them grow. They grow so fast, that two hours after cutting the onions for salad, we could already see new growth.Within 8 days, I had a brand new, full-sized bunch.  (Even if you are not a big green onion fan, this is a great project for your children. My kids were so pleased to see the growth every day.)

After doing a little research, I found that I now need to plant my second generation green onion roots into dirt. This is where it gets a little chancy, because of my tendency to kill plants. Today, I will plant my green onions and a week from now I will let you know if they are still alive and ready to be eaten. 

This post has been linked to Try New Adventures Thursday!