I’m still trying my tray sprouter that I found in my pantry after burying it there months ago. I got it as a gift and had mixed results sprouting small seeds in it. But I decided to give it another go with larger sprouts and have been having lots of luck as long as I rinse both trays twice daily, once in the morning and evening. I sprouted another batch of lentils in it and 5 days later the sprouts have gotten so big they’re separating the trays!
And pushing the lid off!
But, no fuzz problem. Aren’t the sprouts gorgeous?
And impressive root growth!
I can’t wait to use these in a salad. But not tonight. Nope, instead I got to take this sexy guy out for his birthday dinner.
To one of our favorite, but hard to get into restaurants – The Chef’s Table. It’s a small, hole-in-the-wall joint with a constantly changing menu based on the chef’s mood and available ingredients. Also very limited seating around the chef’s bar and tiny section of tables. Usually reservations have to be made days in advance. Tonight I was presented with perhaps the most non-vegan friendly menu I’ve ever seen.
There’s even bacon in the popcorn?!? No biggie. In Melisser Elliot’s The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life, she encourages vegans to venture to not-so-vegan-friendly restaurants to make vegan requests and show there is more of a demand for vegan menu options. And the great thing about a place like this is the off-menu options. When I explained I was looking for something vegan to our waiter, he quickly talked to the chef and came back to me with menu options. I ended up getting a vegan version of the lettuce wraps packed with asparagus and mushrooms to make up for the lack of chicken.
The spicy Thai peanut sauce was divine and it was still a fun and impressive meal.
The bummer was there were absolutely no vegan options on the dessert menu. Really, I didn’t need a dessert, but it was a bit painful watching hubby enjoy caramel bread pudding with no options for me.
However, I got to finish off the bottle of wine instead, so I guess it wasn’t so bad. :-)
Do you sprout at home? What are your favorite sprouts?
Those sprouts are so cute! I’d love to grow some.
Bummer about the limited menu options, but the lettuce cups look very tasty. Double bummer about no dessert options. :( Wine is a good tradeoff, though!
i sprout a lot. just got into soil sprouting !!! I am sprouting sunflower and peas so far.. so fun sunflowers are the best!!! peas are very pretty !!! I am also spouting wheatgrass and kamut grass, and barley grass !!! wow so cheap!!!! a tray costs about 50cents to 1 dollar wow they charge 2 bucks an ounce at whole foods!!!! I get about 8 shots from each tray!!! I feel super rich when i have trays filled with grass and sprouts!!!
Wow, you do a lot of sprouting – that’s great! I looking forward to trying sunflower and pea shoots next, I’ve also got mung beans to try in the tray sprouter. So true that they way cheaper then buying fresh sprouts, growing at home has saved me a lot of money and I always have more in my fridge.
Oh, my, your sprouts looks awesome!!! You’re going to have some great eats with those lovely sprouts!
Nice vegan option at the restaurant … and I know just what you mean about dessert. The fact that they can’t even put a piece of fruit on a plate is a little sad :( But, hey, you got the wine! ;)
I sometimes sprout at home although I don’t have a tray sprouter – I use the old mason jar method. It works ok but I always feel a bit annoyed by having to ‘babysit’ my sprouts for days on end. So far I’ve never had mould though.
Btw, found your blog through Choosing Raw :)
I use jar sprouting too, it works better for smaller seeds for me. True, watching them closely for fuzz can be a hassle, but I’ve had good luck as long as I don’t put more than 2 tablespoons of seeds in. Welcome to the site, love Gena’s blog!
Love the sprout pics!! So vibrant and green!
You sure have guts to show up at a place like that! Glad you got a vegan meal. Yeah it takes advance notice usually for them to make a vegan meal. But be glad they didn’t try then fail (had that happen) and then be even more disappointed.
Looks like a great dinner———and those are some beautiful sprouts! I need to sprout lentils…I have done them only long enough to dry and grind into flour, but I need to let them flourish like yours!
I still need to get working on my sprouts. Love the growth and sprout explosion you had.
spicy Thai peanut sauce = that alone is a good start :)
sorry about the lack of vegan options and lack of vegan desserts too. great that you stuck to your guns…I would have had a hard time watching hubby go to town :)
btw thanks for the pic of him…face to a name thing is better now!
omg your hubby is adorable! I dont know If I ever remember seeing a pic of him! Happy Birthday to him!!! How nice though that they made you something you could eat, but boo on no vegan dessert, but yay for wine!!!!!
Thanks for the nice comments! U are the best!!! xoxo
Thinks, he’s a cutie. :-) Oh well on the dessert, it wasn’t meant to be I guess. :-P