Sprouted Lentil & Watermelon Salad

I try to travel light, but one thing that always comes with me is a nut milk bag. Not because I’m likely to be making nut milk (oh, to have a blender…) but because a nut milk bag is a super compact, light vessel for sprouting legumes.

Sprouts are so vital, so full of prana, and they’re bursting with protein complex carbohydrates and micronutrients and crunchy goodness. They’re also easier to digest that their non-sprouted counterparts.

Dried legumes are usually ridiculously cheap and you can find them anywhere. I don’t think I’ve ever travelled to a place that doesn’t have some form of dried legumes readily accessible.

Here in Morocco, lentils and chickpeas are abundant. Once sprouted, they can be thrown in a salad or nourish bowl, stir-fried, made into dahl… the possibilities are endless.

Yesterday was a hot summer day and I felt like something light – hence this super refreshing salad with watermelon, tomato, cucumber and fresh herbs.

But first, in case you’re new to sprouting, here’s a simple how-to using a nut-milk bag:

Soak dried legumes in plenty of filtered water overnight. Drain into nut milk bag, and rinse well. Hang the bag full of legumes over a tap or the side of a bowl and rinse every 8-12 hours. In a day or two you’ll see little tails and know your sprouts are ready to eat. I like the tail to be roughly the same size as the legume, but it doesn’t really matter. Store them in the fridge to slow further sprouting.