Sunflower Seed Milk
NO: gluten, dairy, nuts, eggs
Ingredients:
1 cup soaked sunflower seeds
2-3 tablespoons raw honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
water
Preparation:
Soak 1 cup of raw sunflower seeds overnight.
Rinse sunflower seeds and add to Vitamix or other high-powered blender.
Fill blender container with water approximately 1/2 full.
Add raw honey and vanilla extract.
Blend until contents are liquified.
Since I didn't measure the water and every blender is different, you may have to add more depending on your blender.
The Vitamix does a very good job of liquifying the ingredients, so there is hardly any pulp.
You can strain the pulp if you wish, but I don't.
Sunflower seeds contain linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid. The seeds are also good sources of dietary fiber, protein, vitamin E, B Vitamins, and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc. If that isn't enough, they are also rich in cholesterol-lowering phyotosterols (phytochemicals naturally occuring in plants).
The best way to eat sunflower seeds is raw, not roasted. Raw sunflower seeds have not been heated or treated with salt. You can find raw hulled sunflower seeds at your local natural foods market.
Absolutely great as a drink by itself, added to cereal or smoothies, or simply topped with spices (cinammon, cardamom and nutmeg) and devoured along with some pumpkin spice bread.
Sunflower seeds contain 8grams of protein per 1/4 cup.
A great addition to anyone's diet!
How else can I use it?
Sunflower seed milk can also be used in recipes that otherwise call for dairy or soy milk. We even used it to make potatoes au gratin!
-heather
