Home grown sprouts—whether from nuts or seeds, grains or legumes—nothing beats the freshness and flavor of sprouts that are lovingly tended in our kitchen. Much of the food for our diet comes these little wonders—and they're filled with vibrant lifeforce and bursting with vitamins, enzymes, minerals, protein, and more. "Regular food" can't compare to the amazing zest found in sprouts—they're a key ingredient to complete nutrition on a budget.

Here, stuffed tomatoes are filled with an easy pine nut pate, enhanced with leeks, rosemary, and lemon juice., and topped with alfalfa sprouts. I chose to use leeks (instead of green onions) because of their "smoky" flavor that works beautifully with the pine nuts.

Ingredients: Makes 2 stuffed tomatoes
2 medium large tomatoes, nicely ripened
1/2 cup alfalfa (or fenugreek) sprouts
1/2 cup pine nuts, soaked 10 minutes & drained
3 tablespoons leeks, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons pure water
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest (finely grated lemon peel)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly grated black pepper

Directions:
Cut tomato with a knife on an angle, removing top and inside. (Save for later use, or chop and use on top of stuffed tomato.)
Put pine nuts, leeks, salt, lemon juice, lemon zest, water & rosemary into a food processor, and puree.
Spoon into tomatoes, and top with sprouts.
Grind fresh black pepper on top.
Alternate fillings: sunflower seed cheese, or guacamole.

Here's a list of our favorite sprouts, how we grow them, and sources to buy them. All sprouts should be rinsed and drained well, twice daily. Use glass sprouting jars with lids so sprouts can drain upside down. We've had great success sprouting this way. We have a designated space in the kitchen for sprouting that's warm and away from direct sunlight. Note: For sprouts grown in a strainer, like buckwheat or amaranth, simply rinse, drain, and cover with a plastic ziplock bag. Keep bag clean. Sprouts can be kept in the refrigerator to extend life for an additional 3-5 days. Make sure to rinse once a day, and drain well, to keep them fresh and alive.


Buckwheat sprouts Alfalfa: Soak 4-6 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 4-6 days. Should be 1" - 1 1/2". When green leaves appear, set in sun for the last 2 days to increase chlorophyll.
Almonds: Soak 10-12 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. (Can be eaten immediately, or sprouted for another day.) No tails.
Amaranth: Soak 4-6 hours. Drain through a strainer. Rinse twice daily. (Sprout in the strainer (the seeds are so small). Ready in 1-2 days. Tails will be very tiny.
Barley: Soak 8 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 1-2 days. Tails will be 1/4".
Buckwheat: Soak 60 minutes—that’s all! Pour into strainer (works best this way) and rinse well. Cover with clean plastic bag. Rinse twice daily. In 1 and 1/2 days they will be ready to eat with tails about ¼"-½".
Fenugreek: Soak 4-6 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 3-5 days. Tails should be 1/2" to 1".
Garbanzo beans (chick peas): Soak for 10-12 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 2-3 days. Tails should be about 1/2".
Lentils: Soak 8-12 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 3 days. Tails will be 1/4"-1/2".
Millet: Soak 8 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 2-3 days.
Mung beans: Soak 8-10 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 2 days. Tails will be 1/4". (We prefer them when tails are smaller.)
Oats: Soak for 8-10 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 2 days. Tails will be 1/4".
Quinoa: Soak 4-6 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 1-2 days. Tails very tiny.
Pumpkin seeds: Soak 8 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 1 day. No tails.
Sesame seed: Soak 4-6 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 1 day. No tails.
Sunflower seeds: Soak 6-8 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 1-3 days. Tail will be 0" to 1/2".
Wehani Rice: Soak 8-10 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 3 days. Tails will be 1/4".
Wild Rice: Soak for 8-10 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 3 days. No tails.
Wheat: Soak for 10-12 hours. Drain. Rinse twice daily. Ready in 1-2 days. Tails will be 1/4" to 1/2".

We buy sprouts from:
Handy Pantry, http://www.handypantry.com/ (also available on Amazon)
The Sprout People, http://www.sproutpeople.com/
The Sproutman, http://www.sproutman.com/

A great reference:
The Sprouting Book, by Ann Wigmore

We let our intuition be our guide on which sprouts to grow, and how to use them, whether it's in soups, smoothies, salads, seed cheese, breads, or pates. We never thought we'd be able to sprout anything, yet now we do, every day. Happy sprouting!