Lentil Sprouts

Day 3

The Background.

Full disclosure: this "recipe" is all from Honest Fare. She seems to be an adorable gal and is just starting a food truck (gourmet empanadas - yum). You should go find her (and her two partners in crime) if you live near Winter Park, FL. 

The Story.

When I was in first grade I had Ms. Showalter as a teacher. She was amazing. The best teacher ever. She was my Kindergarden teacher as well, and she told our class she liked us so much she was following us to first grade to teach us again. It is only now, at age 32, that I question her motives for teaching first grade other than to spend more time with us especially cool kids. 


Ms. Showalter did all sorts of cool things with us, I am sure. But I remember a few things in particular about her class: 

Garden Grilled Cheese: Pre grilled

1) I learned how to write my first name in cursive, but since I go by my middle name, kids made fun of me when I didn't know how to spell my first name. In fairness there are a lot of letters in my name. People with names like Amy, Rob, Jason, Sara, or Kurt should not make fun of people with long names like Katharine Elizabeth McDonald. It didn't matter in the end anyway - no one writes in cursive anymore (the jokes on you, mean kids!) 


2) I learned that dried hard brown beans can quickly turn into tender green shoots with only a plastic baggie, some water, and a paper towel from the girls' bathroom. I remember how magical it was to watch the beans grow through the baggie; we measured the growth with rulers at the beginning and the end of the day. After three days we planted the tender shoots in pixie cups and took them home. 

I won't deny that I really wanted to grow beans again. I thought about doing this when I was at Penn State. Sometimes a dissertation really gets to a girl, and it seems like regression might be fun. Plus growing things is cool. 


I recently opened an account on Stumbleupon. It turns out that I am not interested in a lot of topics that are online (which seems strange, given the prodigious amount of time that I spend on the internets). One page, though, that was provided to me through Stumbleupon that made me excited. It was a blog. 

It turns out that, instead of taking those brown beans and putting them in dirt....you can EAT them. What a brilliant idea. It turns out that lentils can be used too! Who knew! They have a spicy crisp to them that are wonderful in salads, sandwiches, and even straight out of the fridge into my mouth. And you don't need any fancy kitchen gadgets, just a Mason or Ball jar! 

The "Recipe".

1. Rinse 1/2 cup lentils (not split or dal form) in cool water, checking for pebbles. 
2. Soak the lentils for 8-12 hours in cool water. 
3. Rinse lentils and place in a canning jar (with enough space that at least 2/3 of the jar is empty). 
4. Cover mouth of jar with cheese cloth and secure with a tight rubber band. 
5. Twice a day fill the jar with water and drain through the cheese cloth - do this a couple of times. 
6. In 3-4 days you will have lentil sprouts! 

The Process & The Future. 

I let my first batch grow for 4.5 days. This was too long and they took root. The roots are fine to eat, but they would be more tender without them. I also let them get too full in the jar and they were difficult to get out! Less grow time for me!


I now use only 1/4 cup dried lentils at a time and, upon Heather's brilliant idea, place the jar on its side. 

I have eaten sprouts in sandwiches both hot and cold, and I must admit that I am particularly fond of them in grilled cheeses! It is nice to know that I am getting that little bit of extra nutrition in, and the sprouts add a little zip without overpowering (think an extra grind of pepper). They also almost melt when warm, which is nice when trying to stack a whole bunch of things onto a sandwich. 

Garden Crilled Cheese: sprouts, tomatoes, & colby

(sneak preview: next post is on sandwiches)

I will be honest, as this time I am thrilled with the idea of sandwiches and salads and have not thought much further than these two items yet. Ideas are welcome!