The munch and crunch of life is meant to be enjoyed by everyone. For me this comes with a good hand full of nuts or seeds that I savor and enjoy slowly. It is not often that I eat nuts and seeds in their full robust form. When I eat seeds I find myself gravitating towards sunflower seeds that can be easily digested and give me a great satisfying crunch!
The wonderful added benefit of a hand full of sunflower seeds is the protein that you get out of it as well. A nice 5 grams of protein can be found in one ounce of toasted unsalted seeds and if you up that to a full cup you get a whopping 23 grams of protein. Sunflower seeds are low in cholesterol and sodium too. I found nutritional data that was easy to use and helpful at the magazine SELF nutritional data information page. Find it here.
When I indulge myself in their goodness I do so by preparing a large batch that I can access periodically throughout the week. To begin, I soak the sunflower seeds for a few hours and then sprout them. Sunflower seeds sprout quickly and you will know that they have because you will see their shape has transformed and they have quickly increase in size. You can sprout sunflower seeds for up to 18 hours and that makes them really easy to prepare as you can be busy with other food prep and not have to worry about them.
Once sprouted and rinsed they are ready for you to use any way you like. I like to mix them in a bowl and season them with a good dose of herbs and spices and olive oil. Here are a few of my favorite spices:
1. Garlic
2. Kelp and Dulse flakes (Braggs has a wonderful Sea Kelp Delight season blend that is full of great herbs and spices too)
3. Cayenne Pepper
Experiment with flavors and spices that interest your taste buds and awaken your senses.
After seasoning transfer to a dehydrating sheet and let dry overnight. You will be able to smell their aroma throughout your house as they dehydrate and it will further add to the wonderful flavor you will soon experience in your mouth. Pair the sunflower seeds with a nice salad and enjoy!
Share your recipe for sunflower seeds and let us know how you delight in a hand full of seeds.
