The first time I sprouted beans was more than a year ago. I was invited to a raw food potluck by my friend Eileen. I didn’t know a thing about raw food, but being the curious foodie yoga girl that I am, I started doing some reading and playing in the kitchen. Since that time, I’ve had a lot of fun discovering raw food techniques and recipes.

So I dabble in raw food…eating it mostly for breakfast and lunch and having cooked food for dinner. This works for me. Raw food consists of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds that have not been cooked at a temperature higher than 115-118 degrees. It is nutrient dense food that tends to be more bioavailable, that is, more easily absorbed, into our system.

Bean sprouts are kind of a raw food staple. You can sprout any kind of bean really. I’ve done garbanzo beans, lentils and mung beans. Once they are sprouted, you can add the sprouts to any salad, soup, sandwiches or just have them as a snack. I pureed the sprouted garbanzo beans and made raw hummus, which was surprisingly good.

To make this batch of sprouts, I followed the directions on the back of the Bob’s Red Mill mung bean package. All you need is a mason jar, some mesh or cheesecloth and a rubber band.  After rinsing the beans, they are soaked in water overnight at room temperature.

The next day, I drained the beans and rinsed them through the mesh cover and drained them again. I left them at room temperature to begin sprouting.

On day three, I rinsed the beans again and let them sit at room temperature to sprout some more. At this point, you will have baby sprouts. You can eat these or let the sprouts continue to grow. If you are happy with the little sprouts, just cover the jar and place it in your refrigerator.

Mung Bean Sprouts

Adapted from Bob’s Red Mill package

1/3 cup dry mung beans

1 cup cool water (room temperature)

Rinse beans until water runs clear. Place in a mason jar, add water to cover beans, cover jar with clean cheesecloth or mesh and leave to soak at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.

Drain, rinse and then repeat draining and rinsing every 8 to 12 hours, leaving in low light between rinses. Repeat for 2-3 days, for little sweet sprouts, or 4 to 5 days for bigger sprouts.

No need to rinse them when they are ready. Place sprouts in a bag or sealed container and keep refrigerated. Good for 7 to 10 days.