Sunflower Seeds!
I chose sunflower seeds for “S” more to push myself than for any other reason. We all fall back on our staple ingredients, and sunflower seeds are not one of mine. Cashews, almonds and more recently, hemp seeds, are my most used nuts/seeds, tending to overshadow the humble sunflower seed. After this month I hope to take heed of my advice and make the most of the variety in my pantry.
As well as being just as versatile and nutritious as other nuts and seeds out there, sunflower seeds are one of the cheapest. A particular bonus for someone like me, who likes to think of themselves as rather frugal…!
Over here sunflower seeds are normally seen hulled but I know that in other countries they’re especially popular roasted in their shells, salted, and eaten as a snack.
The way I normally eat them is as a salad-topper for a little crunch and a nutrition boost and came up with a simple side or starter salad for today’s post.
I knew I wanted to include apple in my salad since we were given these gorgeous ones from a neighbour. The same kind neighbour who gave us the plums!
Aren’t they pretty? I love how pink they are, even the flesh has a pinkish hue as if the colour from the skin has somehow seeped into it.
This is really quick to put together so ideal for when you want a salad to go with your main meal but more than just some unadorned greens. I used a mix of baby leaves for the base, added some very thinly sliced red onion, slivers of apple and a generous handful of sprouted sunflower seeds. I like to sprout seeds and legumes as I like their fresh, crisp taste and it also makes their nutrients more bio-available (see here for more info and a handy guide to sprouting) but toasted, or even just raw seeds would still be tasty.
I dressed the salad with a miso-lemon dressing which was a nice slightly salty, tangy contrast to the sweet apple.
Babyleaf, Apple + Sunflower Seed Salad with Miso-Lemon Dressing:
2 Generous handfuls of Baby leaves (or mild greens like spinach or pea-shoots)
1 Medium dessert apple, thinly sliced
3T Sunflower seeds (sprouted, toasted or raw)
1/4 Red onion, very thinly sliced
Miso-Lemon Dressing:
1T Lemon juice
1/2T White miso
1/2T Olive oil
1/2t Tamari
Pepper
Whisk together the lemon juice and miso until completely smooth then add the other ingredients and whisk to emulsify.
In a large bowl toss the salad leaves with as much dressing as it needs (add it slowly as you don’t want it to be soggy and you probably won’t want all of it)
Plate the salad: Place a layer of leaves on the plate(s), then scatter over the red onion and seeds. Finally, arrange the apple slices on top.
Serves 1-2
As usual, I’m sharing some of the sunflower seed recipes I’ve come across which appeal to me or that I’ve made an enjoyed:
Firstly something sweet from The Kitchn: Sunflower-Date Raw Cookies
This Broccoli Raisin Sunflower Seed Salad is a favourite
Sunflower seeds are soft, so, after a soak, blend up well. They are a nice, cheaper alternative to cashews in vegan, creamy sauces like this Creamy Herb Sunflower Dressing/Dip. This recipe also uses them, along with cashews, to make a sour cream of sorts, then swirled into black bean soup. I’ve made this one and can vouch for its yumminess!
2 more dips/spreads I want to try are: this Super-Simple Gingery Sunflower Seed Paté and this Raw Carrot, Almond and Sunflower Seed Paté
I am loving Vegan MoFo but it’s leaving me no kitchen time at all for trying all the wonderful creations from other bloggers and my cookbooks. The creativity around the blogosphere this month has been so phenomenal that I’m amassing a rather overwhelming number of recipes too!
Have you picked up any great recipes, tips or info this month?
Sunflower seeds are my favorite, especially in sunflower seed spreads! They seem to be more common in vegan pates and sandwiches spreads seen in Europe. The Miso & Lemon Dressing looks easy to make - thanks for this - I’m trying to find the easy ingredients to work with during my stay here in BA. I will give it a try and use it on grains or salad. Btw, the salad looks delicious with the apple & baby greens!
I really need to try those sunflower seed spreads I linked up. I think they’d be great dips for raw veggies and crackers. Good luck with eating in BA!
We all love sunflower seeds here, my guys are happy to munch them simply roasted with a tiny drizzle of olive oil and sea salt, then I put them on a paper tissue to get rid of the oil. You salad looks lovely
Making your own roasted sunflower seeds sounds great. I’m sure they’re much healthier than buying pre-roasted, not that I’ve actually seen those around these parts…
This salad sounds very nice. If only my husband didn’t have a strong dislike for sunflower seeds… I will save the recipe for a time when he is gone for a meal-time.
Have you or he tried sunflower seeds sprouted? They don’t actually taste at all like raw sunflower seeds, at least to me anyway. You should give them a go.
Thanks for the idea, Emma. I know I haven’t tried them sprouted, and I’m certain my husband hasn’t, either. Sounds like that deserves a try. Susan
Yes, sunflower seeds don’t get the love they deserve. I love them on salads, too! Yours looks delicious.
I feel bad for these poor neglected foodstuffs. Trying to give them the limelight they deserve!
Miso and lemon are two of my favorite ingredients…I’ve never thought to combine them before. Can’t wait to try this!
It’s the perfect salty, tangy dressing to go with the sweet apples. I hope you enjoy!
I also never buy sunflower seeds, though my husband is crazy about them. Somehow, I just forget about them. Honestly, I don’t eat many seeds at all… I tend to focus on nuts. I guess I should remember to eat some seeds more often!!
Those apples are just GLORIOUS. So beautiful… and the salad sounds so delicious!
Exactly. Those poor seeds get sidelined. Maybe because they’re small…?! I’m going to make an effort to use them more.