This is a direct result of my new passion for sprouting seeds. I have sprouted mung beans several times, but I started getting into different seeds and discovered that they all produce very different tasting sprouts. They mix together well, too. For this salad, I started off a mixture of brown and green lentils, aduki and mung beans, chickpeas and sunflower seeds. The result three days later was a big jar of crispy, nutty sprouts, packed full of nutrients. Sprouts are also low in calories, by the way, because all the carbohydrate and fat in the original seeds gets used up making cellulose, vitamins, enzymes and all the other stuff that makes sprouts so good for you. I decided to capitalise on this fact by using my sprouts to make a low-calorie salad.
As my intention was to make a low-calorie dish, I suggest a very small amount of oil for this salad. I used walnut oil to bring out the nutty taste of the sprouts and a teaspoonful was enough. You could easily leave out the oil altogether and then you will have an almost zero-fat salad which will still be fresh and crunchy and delicious.
A small lettuce
A couple of handfuls of bean and/or seed sprouts
2 courgettes
A few sprigs of parsley or coriander
A splash of cider or wine vinegar
(A teaspoon of walnut oil)
Peel the courgettes and cut them into large pieces. Put them in a pan with a couple of centimetres of water and cover the pan. Bring to the boil and cook on a medium to high heat for three or four minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.
Shred the lettuce and cut up the courgette into smaller pieces and mix them in a salad bowl with the sprouts and some salt. If you use oil, shake the oil and vinegar together to make a dressing. Pour the dressing or the vinegar over the salad and give it a little toss.