My New Year’s Plans

The black-eyed pea sprouts are in the refrigerator! I started them Saturday night, and they just grew like nobody’s business. I thought that I would have time to get them last night, but they had already gotten longer than the bean. (It seems to me I remember that they are supposed to taste better if they are only bean length) Whatever! Last night I scooped about a cup of them into a bowl, added about 1 t apple cider vinegar, 1 T extra virgin olive oil, 1 chopped up campari tomato, 2 T minced onion, and some of my dehydrated garlic powder, and left them to marinate (I wasn’t sure you can marinate sprouts, but I figured it was worth a try. I ate them about an hour later. Yum! Yes, marinating works on sprouts.

I also started some wheat sprouts for rejuvelac on Saturday night. Yesterday morning, I began to despair that the wheat would ever sprout, but this morning there were the littlest sprouts showing. When I got home, the sprouts were almost the length of the wheat berries – time to stop them and make the rejuvelac.

My plan for the New Year is to start a Master Cleanse on the night of January 1st – I have to eat my black eyed peas and collards on January First without fail, so I will start that night.
I don’t know what I will do with this rejuvelac I am making – I did not take that into account when I was doing my planning. Maybe I will drink some along with the Master Cleanse and see how that works. We’ll see. I do not know anyone who does rejuvelac, or I would give it to them.

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NEW YEAR’s RECIPES (with raw food you need to plan ahead…)

Where I am from in the South, traditionally, we eat black-eyed peas, collards (or other greens, like kale), and pork, on New Year’s Day.
The collards are green, like money, and symbolize prosperity in the New Year. The black-eyed peas symbolize good luck, and the pork also symbolizes prosperity (because the pig is the only animal which eats while it is moving forward)

I don’t eat pork, duh, but I do keep up the tradition of greens and black-eyed peas.

BLACK-EYED PEAS
1 C dried organic black-eyed peas
1 – 2 T minced onion (to taste, optional)
1 – 2 T minced garlic (to taste, optional)
1 – 2 T extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
1 – 2 T apple cider vinegar (to taste)
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste (optional)

Sprout black-eyed peas for 3 – 4 days (soak for 12 hours,
drain, and sprout, rinsing twice daily for 2 – 3 – 1/2 more days)
Mix sprouted black-eyed peas with minced onion and a minced garlic to taste (optional).
Add olive oil and vinegar, and mix well.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can also find these COLLARDS RECIPES elsewhere within blog. They are re-listed here for your convenience.

MARINATED GREENS
MARINADE
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 C scallions, white parts only, finely only
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t red pepper flakes
2 t sea salt, divided
1/2 t black pepper
1 bunch collard greens (or other greens)
1/8 C olive oil

1 – Mix apple cider vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, scallions, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 t sea salt and pepper. Set aside.
1 – Roll up 2 – 3 leaves into a cylindrical “cigar” shape.
2 – With a sharp knife, thinly slice the rolled greens crosswise into ribbons.
3 – Cross-chop the “rounds”
4 – Place in a large bowl.
5 – Repeat steps 1 – 4 until all greens have been chopped.
6 – Add in olive oil, remaining 1 t salt, and marinade mixture.
7 -Massage all ingredients until mass is reduced by half.
8 -Refrigerate and marinate for 1 – 24 hours

MASSAGED MARINATED GREENS
this comes out enough like old-fashioned Southern greens to satisfy your longing for Grandmamma’s cooking.

1 bunch greens (collards, kale, beet, turnip)
5 – 10 kalamata olives, finely chopped
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, slivered
fresh garlic, finely chopped, to taste, or garlic powder (optional)
chili seasoning, to taste (optional)

1 – Roll up 2 – 3 leaves into a cylindrical “cigar” shape.
2 – With a sharp knife, thinly slice the rolled greens crosswise into ribbons.
3 – Cross-chop the “rounds”
4 – Place in a large bowl.
5 – Repeat steps 1 – 4 until all greens have been chopped.
6 – Add remaining ingredients to bowl and mix.
7 – With hands, ‘massage” greens until bulk is reduced by half.
8 – Set aside to marinate for one hour (or up to 24 hours).
Alternatively, eat right away.

Just in case you missed it – find my CHAMPAGNE Rejuvelac recipe here.

Get moving!!! There are only 5-1/2 days until New Year’s Eve. Yes, you CAN celebrate in style!!!

SPROUTS FROM FRESH BEANS: Part 2

If you have been reading for a couple of weeks, you might have noticed my worries about the fresh cranberry beans. I have sprouted dried beans for years, but I have never tried to sprout fresh ones… it should be easy, right?

I have finished with the cranberry beans, and all of them sprouted. you can sprout fresh beans. Now I know that They just look funky, in the way that home-sprouted mung beans do. I think that 4 days is about right for getting a reasonable taste out of these babies.