Sunflower Pate
This is a super delicious and nutritious dip for veggies, flax or rice crackers, or thinned a bit for use as a salad dressing.
Sunflower seeds contain nutrients that help reduce inflammation, and are high in cholesterol-lowering phytosterols. They are an excellent source of vitamin E and linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid), dietary fiber, protein, and minerals such as magnesium and selenium. I recommend soaking seeds in purified water for up to 24 hours; this starts the germination process, which increases the vitamin C, B, and carotenes (pre-vitamin A) content. Soaking also neutralizes phytic acid, a substance present in the bran of all grains and seeds that can inhibit some absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc. Raw nuts and seeds also contain stomach enzyme inhibitors that are neutralized by germination. Personally, I digest soaked seeds with much more ease than raw, ungerminated seeds.
It is so easy to soak seeds: rinse them with cool water, place in a bowl or a mason-type quart size jar. Cover seeds with water and then cover container with something breathable–I recommend a kitchen towel. Soak up to 24 hrs, rinse and replace the water at least once if you are soaking longer than overnight (6-8hrs). After you’ve soaked them, you can do a final rinse with grapefruit seed extract or organic apple cider vinegar, as these can will clean them of bacteria without being absorbed. You can eat them right away and store leftovers in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container with a towel inside to soak up excess moisture for up to three (3) days.
The recipe:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups soaked sunflower seeds
- 2T tahini
- 1-2T water
- 2T lemon juice
- 1t Celtic Sea Salt
- 1/2t cumin
- 2T fresh cilantro or parsley, 2t dried
- 2 cloves garlic
Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or vita-mix and enjoy! Will stay good in the fridge about 3 days. Add a bit more water or lemon juice to help with blending as needed. Garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley. Yummm!
