Vietnamese Chicken Salad September 03 2017

Ingredients

• Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Toasted Rice Crackers Kit
• 1/4 head of white cabbage
• 1/2 bunch Vietnamese mint (Vietnamese mint is preferable. If sourcing is difficult you can substitute it with Thai basil or normal mint)
• 5 - 7 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tbsp salt
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup white vingear
• Roasted peanuts, crushed (optional)
• Traditionally Roasted Salad Seeds (optional)

Poached chicken

• 2 pieces of merryland chicken
• 2 peeled shallots
• ½  tsp of salt
• 1 tsp sugar

Vietnamese dressing (Nuoc cham)

• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 lemon or lime, juiced
• 2 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 - 4 chillies, roughly minced (Deseed if you cannot take the heat)

Method

• Poach chicken (see method below).
• Wash and shave cabbage using a madeleine or food processor. Allow to sit and drain well.  Cabbage needs to be thoroughly dry.
• Wash Vietnamese mint and set aside to dry. Tear or roughly chop up the herb.
• To pickle shallots, add 1/4 tablespoon of salt and coat the shallots in the salt. Rinse off salt.
• Warm up the white vinegar and dissolve the sugar to make the pickling liquid. Reserve & set aside 1/2 the pickling liquid for the cabbage later.  Add the sliced shallots into the pickling liquid and allow the shallots to infuse.
• To make the dressing (nuoc cham), warm up the fish sauce, add in sugar and dissolve.
• Mix chillies and garlic into a separate bowl and add in the lemon juice. Combine it with the fish sauce and sugar mixture. This will make the chillies and garlic float on top of the fish sauce. Set aside.
• Heat up the rice crackers.  Do a test piece first to gauge the cooking time on the crackers. Set aside to cool and crisp up.
• The chicken should now be cool enough to shred. Tear into pieces and set aside.
• For the cabbage slaw, mix Vietnamese mint, shallots with the pickling liquid to the cabbage.  Add the reserve vinegar liquid and combine all the ingredients well. Pour out the liquid.
• Add in the shredded chicken and combine well.
• Plate up, add generous handful of crispy shallots for a crunchy topping.
• Drizzle the nuoc cham over the salad. This will add a saltiness to the dish.
• Serve the left-over fish sauce on the side. The fish sauce can be added to suit your taste.
• Serve the dish with extra wedges of lemon if you like your salad to be punchy.
• Heap the salad onto a rice cracker.  Enjoy!
• Traditionally, roasted peanuts can also be added on top. Try adding Traditionally Roasted Salad Seeds instead of roasted peanuts for a healthier option.

How to poach a chicken

• Bring a pot of water to boil. (Have enough water to thoroughly cover the chicken.)
• Season the water with shallots, salt and sugar.
• Rinse the raw merrylands before placing in pot of boiling water. Allow the merrylands to cook on simmer for 30 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to sit and cook the reserve heat for another 10 minutes.
• Take the chicken out of the pot and allow to cool.

Notes

• Skim any scum from the broth. Freeze it to use later as stock.
• The broth is lightly flavoured enough to make it versatile for use in other dishes.
• Use the current broth as the base. Inject more flavour into the broth by adding more vegetables or more chicken bones and boil/simmer again to create a rich bone broth soup.

Avocado Boat with Sprouted Chickpea Topping March 22 2017

Ingredients

• 1 punnet of Sydney Sprouts Chickpea
• 3 tbsp of masala spice blend (or equivalent)
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp oil
• Lemon juice
• Fresh coriander, chopped
• 6-10 cherry tomatoes, half or quartered
• 1 shallot diced

Tahini Dressing (optional)

• ¼ cup of tahini
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ½ lemon juiced
• 2-4 tbsp hot water

Method:

1. Boil the sprouted chickpeas for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
2. Heat a pan over medium heat. While pan is heating, add the dried chickpeas to a mixing bowl and toss with masala spice blend and sea salt to season.
3. Once the pan is hot, add oil and chickpeas to pan and sauté , stirring frequently until slightly browned  and fragrant – about 8 minutes.
4. Place chickpeas into a bowl and set aside to cool. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed by adding more salt or spice.
5. Prepare the tahini dressing (optional) - otherwise extra lemon juice is a great substitute. To make dressing - mix all ingredients together and add hot water gradually to thin out to the desired consistency.
6. Mix the tomatoes, onion, chickpeas and coriander together.
7. To serve, halve the avocado and remove seed. Can scoop out the flesh or leave it in the skin. Removing it from the skin makes it easier to eat but will be messy!
8. Generously squeeze lemon juice over the avocado. Add the tahini dressing and top it with the chickpea topping.
9. Serve immediately – it's delicious when fresh!

Raw Beetroot and Sprouted Chickpea Hummus Dip February 01 2017

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sprouted chickpeas
• 1 medium beetroot, peeled and cut into small chunks 75g
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed dried herbs- rosemary, thyme, and oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2 tablespoon tahini
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon water

Method:

1. Blend the sprouted chickpeas, beetroot and mix dried herbs together in a high speed blender, to finely chop.
2. Add the lemon juice, garlic powder, cumin, tahini and oil and blend to a smooth consistency.
3. Add water if it is too thick or to reach the dip consistency you prefer. Add salt and pepper, season to taste!

Notes: 

Serve the beetroot & chickpea hummus with Sydney Sprouts Toasted Rice Crackers as part of a dip or antipasto platter.

Try the dip also with a selection of vegetables, carrot, cucumber & celery sticks with a melody of colourful cherry tomatoes.

Use any left overs as a spread on your lunch wraps.

Sprouted lentils with Moroccan Salad Seeds Grain Salad January 12 2017

Let's start 2017 afresh! This is our take on a grain salad using two of our favourite products, fresh lentils sprouts and sprinkles of Moroccan Salad Seeds.

A summer favourite, with little pops of fireworks coming from the pomegranate and nutty Moroccan spices from the salad seeds. 

Serves 6-8
Cook time: > 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 bunch coriander, chopped
• ½ bunch parsley, chopped
• ½ shallots, finely diced 
• ½ cup buckwheat 
• ½ cup quinoa
• ½ cup lentils (sprouted) (70g)
• ½ cup Moroccan Salad Seed (70g) 
• 2 tablespoon baby capers
• ½ cup currants
• Juice of 1 lemon 
• 3 tablespoon extra virgin oil
• 1 pomegranate, deseeded, to serve 

Method:

1. Blanch the lentils separately in some boiling water.  Drain & set aside.
2. Add ½ cup buckwheat to with 1 ½ cup of water,bring to a simmer on low for 15-20 minutes until al dentale or  the liquid is absorbed. Drain off any excess liquid & set aside.
3. Add ½ cup quinoa to 1½ cup of water, bring to a simmer then cover on low for 15-20 minutes until al dentale or the liquid is absorbed.  Drain off any excess liquid & set aside. 
4. In a medium bowl, place the coriander, parsley, red onion, buckwheat, lentils, salad seeds, capers, currants, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix well and season to taste.
5. Place into serving dish and top with cumin yoghurt and pomegranate seeds.

Optional: Dress the grain salad with yogurt, pomegranate, ground cumin and honey as a topping. Mix them all until combine to have a flavour infuse yogurt. Plate up!

#SundayFunday Recipes December 05 2016

In the video we featured:

The Difference between Bean Sprouts and Soya Bean Sprouts November 14 2016

Lama's Authentic Mediterranean Rice with Salad Seeds October 26 2016

Our good friend Sharon has a very talent neighbour, the lovely Lama who kindly shared her family recipe with us :) Sydney Sprout's Salad Seeds is the perfect addition to the aromatic and slightly sweet rice - we had seconds and thirds!

Ingredients (Serves 2)

• 2 chicken thigh fillets
  
• 1 eschallot or small onion (finely chopped)
  
• 1 carrot (diced into small cubes)
  
• Handful of mushrooms
  
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Small handful of sultanas
• 1 tbsp glee or olive oil
• 1 tsp baharat - Arabic spice
• 2 cups of chicken stock or water
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat up ghee/olive oil in the pan.
2. Pan sear chicken till golden brown on both sides. Set aside to cool on a separate plate. (Don't worry if it's slightly undercooked as it will be tossed back in the pan again later)
   
3. In the same pan, cook the onions in the leftover chicken juice. Allow the onions to sweat.
4. Add in carrots and toss with onions until soft.
5. While the carrots and onions are cooking, roughly tear the chicken into bite sized pieces.
6. Add in spice and toss with onion and carrots. Add in mushrooms, sultanas, tomato paste and basmati rice. Stir a little and then add the chicken broth or water. Stir well.
   
7. Bring to boil and reduce heat to a minimum and wait for the rice to cook (usually about 12 - 15 mins) with lid on. (allow for a small gap for the steam to escape)
8. Once cooked, fluff the rice up and add a handful of Moroccan Salad Seeds for the crunch and finishing touch. The Moroccan spices in the salad seeds adds another depth of flavour to the baharat. 
9. Serve immediately.

Note

As a side dish we assembled a quick onion salad using onion sprouts and eschallots with a dash of extra virgin oil and a squeeze of lemon. You might also like to try a side of Lebanese salad or mint yoghurt!

Jamie Oliver Recipe Challenge - Sprouting Super Salad September 30 2016

Who doesn't love Jamie Oliver? When we found he had a Sprouting Super Salad recipe, we got really excited and had to try it out! Simply roast some carrots with a bit of honey, toss in avocado oil, beans, parsley and drizzle with an orange and honey dressing...Our verdict? Mmmmmmmmmm so SO goooooood!

The modification we have made were:

1. Substitute 200g Biosnacky sprouting seeds with our Sydney Sprouts Bean Combo 

2. For those with a nut allergy, we substituted 70g of hazelnut with a handful of Sydney Sprouts Salad Seeds (both are available at your local green grocers).

Stir Fry Garlic Chives Flower with Bean Sprouts September 21 2016

Ingredients (Serves 2-4)

• 300g bean sprouts (washed and drained to freshen)
• 1 bunch of garlic shoots or garlic flower (washed and chopped into 5cm lengths)
• 4 tsp sugar
• 3 tsp soya sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic (smashed)
• 3 tsp oil

Method

1. Heat up oil in the wok. Add garlic and stir fry till golden brown.
2. Add in chopped garlic flowers/shoots. Toss for a few seconds.
3. Add in bean sprouts.
4. Add in all the seasoning. Toss and stir fry quickly for one minute to combine.
5. Keep it crunchy and serve immediately.

Grow your Own Mini Herb Garden Sustainably August 28 2016

Spring is the season of hope and new energy.  

Everything is starting to slowly come to life again after winter hibernation.

It's also the best time to start planting for that herb garden you have always wanted. "I don't have a backyard," I hear you say. Pfff! Don’t let that deter you!

The next time you finish off a punnet of alfafa sprouts, remember to keep the plastic tub and lid.

Used alfalfa tubs makes a great seedling pot to get things started.

The plastic tubs are ideal as it already has holes at the bottom for drainage. The lid becomes a perfect planter dish to catch water.

By giving the empty tub another purpose, not only have we helped reduce landfill, we will also get to nurture our bodies with nature's rewards!

Once your little plant starts to outgrow it's tub, it can be transferred over to a larger decorative pot.

Remember, it's best to start small. Try growing herbs, edible flowers, strawberries on the windowsill and enjoy the fruits of your labour in spring :)

Roast Chicken and Vegie Bibimbap August 23 2016

Traditionally, bibimbap is a Korean mixed rice bowl with meat and assorted vegetables. This is Sydney Sprouts' take on bibimbap!

Serves  3-4
Cook time: 45 minutes (or less)
Prep time: 30 minutes (or less)

Ingredients:

• 1 BBQ chicken from the shops (deboned & shredded)
• Fresh soya beans or Bean Sprouts Salad (awesome recipe from Just One Cookbook here: www.justonecookbook.com/spicy-bean-sprout-salad/)
• 1 punnet alfalfa sprouts
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, washed and drained, halved.
• 1 medium carrot, washed and julienned
• 200g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 packet Sydney Sprouts Salad Seeds – Organic Nori
• 1 fried egg per person
• Brown rice for 3-4 portion
• Cooking oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce (3 servings)

• 2 tbsp gochujang Korean chili paste
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp apple vinegar

Notes:

This recipe can be modified to suit vegetarians (just omit the chicken).

Raw vegetables have the highest nutrition value, so where you can, we suggest keeping as many of the vegetables uncooked. This will reduce prep and cooking time

If you prefer cooked vegies, we recommend flash frying them quickly to preserve the nutrients.

Remember to never cook alfalfa sprouts – they will wilt and become soggy.

You can substitute with leftover/extra vegetables from the fridge - other examples to try include shaved red cabbage, zucchini and wilted spinach.

Method:

1. Cook the rice as per the rice instructions.
2. (Skip step 2 if you prefer raw vegies) Cook each type of vegie separately. Add about ¼ tsp cooking oil, bring to high heat, add your vegie, cook for 2-3 minutes until the vegies are wilted. Season to taste and set aside. Repeat step 2 in a clean pan each time until all the vegies have been cooked.
3. Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
4. Fry the egg sunny side up
5. Place rice on the bottom of the bowl and assemble the vegetables and chicken in portions on top of it.
6. Place the egg on top and sprinkle with a handful of salad seeds.
7. Serve with sauce and enjoy!

Sydney Sprouts Miso Soup Kit Recipe July 01 2016

Soya bean sprouts are an excellent source of fibre, B vitamins, calicum and omega-3 fatty acids.
Combined with wholesome miso, this simple winter treat will nourish your soul.
Enjoy!

This recipe is from our Sydney Sprouts Miso Soup Kit. To purchase please visit your local greengrocer!

Ingredients

• 2 -3 cups of water
• 250g of soya beans
• ½ cup chopped green onions
• ¼ cup firm or soft tofu
• Dashi - Japanese seaweed broth 
• Miso paste - fermented soya beans
• Dry wakame - seaweed

Method (serves 2)

1. Place 2-3 cups of water into a medium sauce pan and bring to simmer.
2. While water simmering, wash the soya bean sprouts and discard any imperfect sprouts. Drain the soya beans and add them to the saucepan to cook through for 5 - 7 minutes. Increase/decrease time as desired for preferred soya bean texture.
3. Thinly cut shallots. Dice tofu to 1cm cubes.
4. As soon as the soya bean is ready, add the dashi satchel and  stir to dissolve. Add wakame and tofu to warm through.
5. Once wakame softens stir in miso* paste until all is dissolved. Stir gently to combine all ingredients and to avoid breaking the tofu.
6. Do not allow the soup to boil.  Boiling damages the goodness of the miso.
7. Add the shallots and serve soup immediately.

Note: As miso are salty in nature, you can adjust the level of saltiness to your liking by increasing or decreasing the amount of miso you add to the soup.

Cannot view the video? Watch Sydney Sprouts Miso Kit cooking demo on youtube.