Adzuki Beans

by Crystal
(Stockdale, Texas)

Raw Hummus

Q Help me to understand how this is considered a raw food? Thank you very much.

A Legumes like adzuki beans can be sprouted and eaten raw in salads, dips like hummus, and added to raw wraps and soups. Legume sprouts like seed sprouts contain amazing nutritional value. The dry seeds/ beans contain a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, essential fatty acids, enzymes, and phytonutrients.

Chick peas also known as garbanzo beans are a prime example. They make a wonderful raw-hummus. Lentils are also easily sprouted and make a healthy addition to many raw recipes.

Mung bean sprouts seen a lot in Asian stir fry dishes make a wonderful addition to salads and raw wraps. The mung beans are basically a full sprout when you eat them where as some of the other legumes including adzuki beans, will be ready to eat with just a short sprout “tail”, perhaps ¼” to ½”. If you go on much longer than that the bean will begin to decay and you’ve lost the whole lot.

Many raw fooders will tend to eat the short “tail” recipes in the winter months when they want something denser with the added calories to burn.

Some do find the legumes to starchy or just too hard to digest. Soaking and rinsing them for an adequate amount of time can go a long way in making them easier to digest. Each legume will have a different soak rinse schedule, which are easy to find with a quick online search.

Sprouting is not only a simple process, but is rewarding a fun as you see the sprouts grow in your own kitchen. Anyone can learn to sprout successfully with just a little bit of learning on their part. In as few as 3 days you can have sprouts ready to eat.

The keys to successful sprouting are keeping things clean, adequate water and good drainage, with ample air flow. There are many good books on sprouting and as mentioned above the old internet search will give you more than enough information to get started.

Happy Sprouting!