I’m officially addicted to growing my own sprouts. If I had an outdoor space then of course, I would be planting more than sprouts. But alas, city life makes all things relative I have to make do with what I can- which is sprouting. L-O-T-S. Sprouting is officially the next best thing to full on gardening- and yes I do consider it gardening because that makes me feel better. Once you have witnessed for yourself that the satisfaction is almost instant, you’ll be hooked too. Forget the digging, back pain and months of waiting for a shoot to appear through the ground. We’re talking 2-3 days here and you will have fully sprouted sprouts ready to chuck back like popcorn or delicately sprinkle over a salad. And by the time you’ve chomped your way through a batch your next one is ready to go. In your mouth that is.
For those who are worried about not being able to keep plants alive, fear not- sprouting, aside from being the cleanest and least strenuous type of gardening is just about the most forgiving kind too. I have a sprouting jar that I bought here but you don’t even need something this fancy.
The process is very simple- just soak the sprouting seeds for 12-24 hours and then rinse and drain a couple of times a day until you have what you see below. One of these days I’ll do a little photographic tutorial but for now you’ll just have to deal with a solitary picture that symbolises my mastery of horticulture.
I’m quite partial to the chickpea, mung bean and lentil mix, (photographed above) which is crunchy and earthy tasting but you can also sprout alfalfa seeds and broccoli seeds for what I like to refer to as hairy sprouts. Both are great in salads and love to get cozy sandwiched with hummus and banana peppers in toasted pitas.
They also both like this salad which combines raw and cooked ingredients for a crunchy, salty, chewy salad that come to think of it would also be nice sandwiched with hummus in a toasted pita. It’s sort of a summery salad, but seeing as Spring is finally in our grasp here in New York, I couldn’t wait to post this any longer. My patience with winter has been wavering and the sale on asparagus at the greengrocers tells me he’s pretty fed up with stocking the shelves with cabbage and squash too.
You could save yourself the minimal effort of making your own by going to the huge effort and expense of buying your own but I’ll leave that burdensome decision up to you. 
Serves 2 generously
Diet Facts: gluten-free and totally delicious
1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
small bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and the rest cut into 3 pieces each
100g mixed sprouts
4 slices bacon, chopped
150g/1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
85g/3 oz feta cheese
2 spring onions, finely sliced
lemon zest & juice
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper• Heat the oven 225C/425F/Gas 7. Place the asparagus and broccoli florets on a baking tray in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden and crispy on the outside but not overcooked.
• Meanwhile cook the bacon- either in the oven or fry in a pan, drain the fat. Mix together all of the remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste with the olive oil, lemon and salt and pepper
