I recently published a blog post on homemade croutons, which is a favorite salad topper. I think even better than croutons are sprouted sunflower seeds. Why would we sprout the sunflower seeds before roasting?
Sprouting unlocks the nutrients and neutralizes phytic acid which “binds with calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc, making it hard to impossible for you to absorb those nutrients,” according to The Nourishing Gourmet. “It’s also irritating to your digestive system.”
Sunflower seeds take one day to soak, and one day to sprout before roasting. Spouting is easy, and worth a little bit of extra effort. I like roasting mine with a touch of oil and salt – this satisfies my craving for salty chips. I make a smaller batch without salt for my daughter’s smoothie bowls and trail mix.
These small seeds are packed with health benefits. Rich in Vitamin D, sunflower seeds are an anti-inflammatory food, benefit the cardiovascular system, lower cholesterol and are a good source of magnesium. I buy my organic raw, hulled sunflower seeds from Azure Standard.
If you have homeschoolers learning about nutrition and plant life, this would be an edible science experiment.
Fill a jar with hulled, raw sunflower seeds. Fill with purified water to cover seeds.
After 24 hours, drain and let sit another 24 hours. You will see little sprouts on the ends of the seeds. It happens quickly!
Preheat oven at 350. Place seeds on a cookie sheet, and add oil. The amount depends on how may seeds you have prepared. For a full cookie sheet, I add one tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle with salt, keeping in mind the salt will concentrate as the seeds shrink during cooking. Bake for 10 minutes, and stir. Bake until desired consistency.
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