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1 Jan 2008

Get the Year Going with Alfalfa

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2008.

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Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
Oprah Winfrey

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After all the rich food eaten over the festive season you will find alfalfa sprouts a great way to cleanse your system and get 2008 off to a healthful start.

Alfalfa sprouts contain vitamins A, B1, B6, C, E and K. They also contain folic acid, calcium, potassium, biotin, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, chlorophyll, silicon, cobalt and amino acids plus they are very rich in saponins.

They have been popular for a long time assisting with treatment of arthritis, digestive problems, kidney and bladder problems, water retention and added to weight loss and detox programs. The saponins lower bad cholesterol and fats.

Organic alfalfa sprouts are often available at the local supermarket but if not are very easy to sprout. Two tablespoons of seed will yield around a pint (1/2 litre) of sprouts. They need to have two leaves on their stems before they are ready to eat or juice. This will take around 5 to 6 days.

The sprouts can be stored in the fridge in a plastic bag for up to 4 days. Rise and pat dry before use. They can then be added to salads, sandwich and pita fillings, gazpacho or simply juiced with vegetables.


Sunshine Pocket
Adapted from Good Sprout News

1 head of cauliflower, steamed until soft
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt or powdered kelp
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/3 cup Vegan mayonnaise or substitute like tahini dressing
4 ozs/100gms alfalfa sprouts
3 carrots, grated
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 large whole wheat pita breads

Mash cauliflower in a bowl, add listed ingredients except sprouts, carrots and tomatoes and mix. Chill well. Spread mix in pita bread and add the alfalfa sprouts, carrots and tomatoes. Serves 4

Em’s V-9 Cocktail
Adapted from the Diabetes Diet Dialogue blog

1 large or 2 medium, sweet tomatoes OR 2 cups cherry, organic, vine-ripened tomatoes
1 English cucumber, chunked approximately in 1/8ths
3 to 4 cloves of organic garlic
1 organic red bell pepper, cut in sixths
3 organic romaine lettuce leaves, each cut in thirds
1 leaf organic kale or 3 leaves of frisee endive or 1 handful of mixed, organic Spring Greens pre-washed salad
1/2 inch gingeroot, scrubbed and minced OR about 1 tbsp sliced sushi ginger
1 tsp kelp granules and/or 1/4 Cup alfalfa or clover sprouts
1/2 a can/carton of coconut juice or lite coconut milk, more if needed OR same amount unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp hemp oil (optional)

Wash the veggies, as needed. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender, and run until it is smooth. Taste first! Add some sea salt, fresh cayenne pepper or black pepper, if desired.
Garnish: hemp seed or chopped parsley

Alfalfa and Tomato Salad
From Aconbury Sprouts

1 pack Aconbury alfalfa, or alfalfa and broccoli sprouts
20ozs/500g ripe plum tomatoes
1oz/20g fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Roughly chop the tomatoes and tear up the basil. Combine with the oil, vinegar and seasoning, and set aside for an hour for the flavours to blend. Layer with the alfalfa, decorating with a few on top, and serve.

Raw Alfalfa Burgers
From Feasting On Raw Foods (Thorsons)

3/4lb/340gms alphalfa sprouts chopped
7oz/200gms ground sunflower seeds
3 tbsps finely chopped onions
3 tbsps finely chopped parsley
3/4 tsp kelp powder

Combine the ingredients and form into patties. Top with Herby Tomato Dressing* and serve.

*Herby Tomato Dressing: Blend 2 skinned and quartered tomatoes, 2tbsps sunflower seeds, 1/2 clove garlic and tsp each of thyme, oregano, rosemary and basil.

Latest entry at Herbs 'n Oils: Health and Detox Drinks




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19 comments:

Naomi said...

I've heard about Alfalfa before Jackie. The company I work for use it in a supplement with Kelp to promote healthy skin and hair. Great recipes. Thanks for sharing those. Haven't heard from you in a while Jackie. Hope you're ok and you had a good Christmas. Just wanted to wish you a Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year! I love this post because I love alfalfa sprouts but I usually buy them, use them once and end up tossing them because I wasn't sure how long you could keep them. Thanks for the info. That Sunshine Pocket sounds yummy and healthy.

I hope you have a wonderful day and new year.

Marion said...

Happy New Year, Jackie...along with Naomi, I hope you're well and had a great Christmas.

I love sprouts of any kind, but the nutty taste of alfalfa is my favourite. Great recipes, as always!

Marshamlow said...

I have never had alfalfa sprouts. I too hope you had a great holiday and a happy new year. I hope you will consider sending a post in for the Much Ado about Money carnival. I am hosting it, yikes.

Sheila said...

Happy New Year Jackie. I always like sprouts on salads when I eat out but haven't thought to grow my own.

aTxVegn said...

Happy New Year, Jackie! I LOVE alfalfa sprouts and could certainly use some cleansing! The patties look so interesting and sound really good.

Kate said...

Wow, I am sprouting alfalfa right now. Great recipes!

urban vegan said...

Happy New Year, Jackie!

I love alfalfa sprouts but I have trouble sprouting them myself b/c they're so teeny. Guess I should buy a sproouting bag.

Anonymous said...

Alfalfa recipes, how neat! Add me to your blog roll if you like:
http://raspberry.lemonsnowcone.com/

Thanks!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Mmm the burgers sound great!

Unknown said...

I've been thinking about you and was wondering how you were doing! I should have followed through last night and wished you a Happy New Year first!!

Love your recipes and will be creating a link to the recipes on this post to my personal blog: Notes That Touch The Heart

HAPPY NEW YEAR JACKIE!!! May 2008 be a wonderfully, peaceful year for you and yours!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I've always loved alfalfa - thanks for the recipes!! always fun to find new ways to enjoy a great ingredient :0)

happy new year!!

Anonymous said...

Wishing you a very happy new year.

You are right on the mark with something cleansing after Christmas eating.

Look forward to trying out your new recipes.

Anonymous said...

Great to now!!

Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

Hello Jackie,

Thank you for visiting my blog at http://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com and I am happy that you shared one of my vegan recipes with your readers --- my V-9 Cocktail.

I wanted to make 2 corrections to my recipe as it formatted on your blog.

Firstly, it is 3 to 4 cloves of organic garlic, not 34 (as it comes through on my browser, anyway!).

Secondly, it is 1/2 an inch of ginger root, not half of a ginger root, as the current formatting could imply.

I really hope you enjoy the cocktail. I personally like it more spicy than I wrote it online, but as one can always add spice, it's best for public recipes to let people season to their taste.

I hope you will add my blog at http://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com to your blog roll.

I do try to post a lot of vegetarian and vegan recipes, as I believe that this is the necessary dietary Path to Health for most people, especially those who are already dealing with health issues.

I wish you and your readers a happy and healthy year ... and by the time this year has passed, I sincerely hope all of you, and our planet, will be happier and healthier indeed.

Please spread the word. "Diet is the key. It is the best chance to start the cascade toward Health"(c) and "We build our Health one bite at a time." (c)

Best to all --- Em

Jackie said...

Thank you Em for letting me know.....shouldn't post things before proof reading what I typed LOL

Sheree' said...

Your sunshine pocket sounds really good! Happy New Year!

dreamy said...

HAppy New Year Jackie!

The alfalfa burgers sounds really healthy!

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

That V-9 Cocktail sounds fabulous! I could use a little detoxing! Thank you and all the best in 2008!