Ginger Lemon Chickpea Sprouts

This is an all-raw variation on one of my favorite, traditional Indian snacks — roasted chickpeas. Actually, my earliest memory of roasted chickpeas is having them served as part of breakfast at the Hare Krishna temple in Philly in the early 90s.

Years later, when I really got into raw foods, I was sprouting just about everything I could find. I’ve experimented a lot with sprouted chickpea houmous and I love chickpea sprouts in salads. That said, they’re not for everyone. Try it and see if you like the fresh, raw, nuttier flavor. On their own they taste a bit weird, but the ginger and lemon and pinch of spices brings out a nice, zippy flavor to go with the crunch. Earth-crunchy, that is.

Ginger Lemon Chickpea Sprouts
serves 4 / time: 15 min (after soaking + sprouting!)

1 cup dried chickpeas / garbanzo beans
2-3 Tbs fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
1/4 tspn salt
1/4 tspn cumin
1/4 tspn paprika
1 tspn olive oil or sesame oil

1. First rinse, then soak dried chickpeas for 24 hrs in 4 cups of water.
2. Drain water, rinse with fresh water, drain again, put in a cool location covered (but not sealed) to sprout.
3. Every 12 hours repeat step 2 until the beans all have a short sprout, usually after 24 to 36 hours. More mature sprouts taste more bitter.
4. Rinse and drain your sprouted chickpeas and put them in a large bowl.
5. Add other ingredients, toss and mix well.
6. Cover and allow to sit for 15 to 30 minutes.
7. Garnish with paprika and / or chopped fresh herbs of your choice.

Chickpeas after 24 hours of soaking. Small sprouts are already starting to form.
These could be sprouted for another 24 hours, or used as they are.

Variations: Add 1 tspn maple syrup or agave, ground black pepper, fresh parsley or cilantro, or a dash of soy sauce if desired.