Sometimes a Beaver is Just a Beaver

I grew up in a town called Beaver Dam. Every summer, the town put on a week-long party called "Beaverfest." There were parades, games, historical things to visit, fair food & games, and most importantly t-shirts. "Get your t-shirts! T-shirts for sale! Show 'em where ya been by getting a t-shirt!" There was a contest of sorts for anyone who cared to enter, to decide the slogan/theme for the t-shirt and the festival. The two I remember (and the t-shirts I still have) are from 1989 and 1990.

"Yours & Mine, Beaverfest '89"

"Relax, Enjoy, and See the Best, 1990 Beaverfest"

In this post-Abercrombie&Fitch-designer-t-shirts-silk-screened-with-clever-double-entendres-nudge-nudge-wink-wink world that we live in, these shirts are worth their weights in gold. People rarely believe that such a fest actually exists, let alone that I attended such a gathering as a 6/7-year-old. I especially like wearing the latter to work at the liquor store. I get lots of knowing smiles; 'gentlemen' ask if I have personal knowledge of the 'best' beaver. It's a conversation piece if nothing else.

What does this have to do with raw foods/vegan baking? Well, I have been very busy. Beavers are busy. Ergo - Beaverfest.

And what have I been busy doing, you might ask? The two big 'S's' of raw food: soaking and sprouting. I've soaked nuts before (to make my Hero-worthy milks), but this is my first time soaking grains and seeds. I'm not sure if I've been text-book-ly successful with my sprouting, but everything is edible (read: I'm still alive and kicking) so I'm giving myself a 'W' and passing the recipes on to you.

The first thing I tried to sprout (as it was the only sproutable grain in my house at the time) was quinoa. Quinoa is a grain-like seed originally cultivated 6000 years ago by the Incas who considered it sacred because it could be grown at the high altitudes where they lived. Fun fact! I'm 1/4 or so Incan on my Dad's side. I don't speak Spanish (or Quechua) and I've unfortunately never been to Bolivia, but I'm always looking for ways to connect a little bit more with that part of my heritage. Even if it's only checking the 'Hispanic, non-white' box on a Scan-Tron form.

Anyway, as evidence of my cultural ignorance, when I first started using quinoa in my vegan cooking (it's awesome in chili), I pronounced it kwih-noah. This is wrong. Do not pronounce it this way. People will laugh at you in posh restaurants. It is most commonly pronounced keen-wah, with the accent on the first syllable. Men's Health's pronunciation guide in its recipe for turkey-quinoa pilaf taught me, now I'm teaching you.

To sprout quinoa, soak overnight in a bowl of water. Drain into a fine mesh colander draining over a bowl. Cover with a towel and let sit for at least 6 hours. Rinse once or twice. I let mine sit on the window sill draining and sprouting for almost 2 days and it was just fine. The nice thing about sprouting is the lack of work needed to do it succesfully.

Note that quinoa doesn't really sprout a tail or a leafy sprout like lentils or sunflower seeds. It just sort of opens up a little bit and gets chewy. Other than the recipe below, sprouted quinoa makes a great substitution for bulgur in tabouli salads.

Quinoa and Grape Salad (from Raw Food, Real World)

1 cup quinoa, soaked and sprouted
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup mirin
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups red or green grapes, halved or quartered
3 stalks of celery, finely sliced or diced
1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 handful mint leaves, chopped
1 handful basil leaves, chopped
1 green onion, chopped

Mix the quinoa, lime juice, mirin, oil, and salt in a large bowl. Let sit for a while so the quinoa can absorb some of the flavor. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Add black pepper to taste and chopped raw cashews right before serving if desired. Without the cashew added (they get soggy if left to sit too long) this salad will keep for several days in the fridge. It travels well, (I took it to Philly in a cooler) and it works as a chunky dip for veggies.

This salad is high in protein (quinoa is about 17% protein), and resveratol (from the grape skins) which is a possible cancer fighter. Cilantro can help pull toxic metals out of your body, mint aids digestion, and basil is an antioxidant. Delicious and healthy. Muy bien.

Encouraged by my apparent success with quinoa, I decided to try sunflower seeds. Same basic process for sprouting: and over night soak, rinse and drain in a mesh colander, let sit for a while, rinsing occasionally. I let my sunflower seeds sprout on the windowsill for about 3 days. Some of them opened up and had little green leafy tails growing. Some did not. I think I had too many in the colander. Roomie said I was going to give myself hallucinations or tremors from eating fungus-fied grains. I replied that 1. sunflower seeds are not grains and 2. ergot only occurs on rye and plants like that. Still, his prediction weighed on my mind as I prepared to eat my sprouted sunflower seeds. They tasted pretty good on a salad - a little spicy and very green. And since I did not need treatment for St. Anthony's Fire, I figured the seeds were safe for other recipes.

Sunflower Pate (from Raw Foods for Busy People)

2 cups sprouted sunflower seeds
2 tbs. tahini
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tbs tamari
1 tbs cheater garlic
2 green onions, chopped
pinch of chipotle powder
1/2 cup water (for blending)

Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and whip up until combined, occasionally scraping the sides. If you use the blender, you'll need to add the water to keep it blending and get a nice smooth consistency.

I think this dip is called "pate" because it comes out a greyish, semi-chunky glob. Otherwise, there's nothing pate (read: minced meat and pureed fat) about it. It's high in protein, essential fatty acids, and fiber. It's a little strong flavored to be used as a straight veggie dip, but as a filling for romaine lettuce wraps sunflower pate is top notch. And non-hallucinogenic.

From semi-aquatic rodents to the Andes mountains to mind-altering grains. You never know where raw veganism might take you.