So I have all these seeds… some of which I ordered online and some that I bought from the health food store. I bought them because of their unique individual nutritive properties as well as the relatively high protein content. I have a number of future uses for them in my mind such as vegan quiche crusts and coatings for faux meat entrees. I chose four types of seeds that I liked because of their flavor, their distinctive nutritive traits and their protein contents. You can see from the nutritional facts label I have included. Almost 9 grams of protein to each ounce, and all that nutrition, I thought experimenting with the mixed seeds made this a time worthy project.
Nutrition Facts Serving Size 10g Servings Per Container about 28 Amount Per Serving Calories 51 Calories From Fat 38 % Daily Value Total Fat 4g 6% Saturated Fat 1g 2% Trans Fat 0g Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 33mg 1% Total Carbohydrates 1g 0% Dietary Fiber 1g 2% Sugars 0g Protein 3g Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 5% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. |
Pumpkin seeds are very high in manganese and magnesium, essential minerals we don’t get enough of in average American diets. They are also high in phosphorus, tryptophan and iron. Sunflower seeds are especially potent vitamin E and vitamin B1. They are also high in protein and contain similar amounts of minerals as do pumpkin seeds. Hemp seeds are high in protein with all essential amino acids in significant amounts. Hemp’s oil is of superior quality with EFAs and omega-6/omega-3 highest of any vegetable oil. Hemp oil also contains healthy amounts of rare polyunsaturated oils that are produced by our own bodies in small amounts but not easily restored without supplication. Flax seed is high in omega oils and fiber with a serious dose of phytochemicals including anti oxidants. It may be the best source of lignans which aid female hormones when converted in our intestines. They may be an important guard against breast cancer. The main benefit, though, is as a laxative with a gelatinous cellulose that forms when mixed with water.
Grinding flax seeds is the only way to extract the nutrition from the seed as they will produce cellulose from their hulls and pass right through the human digestive system undigested. Grinding them releases all this other goodness they contain. Grinding all the seeds help to insure they will be better digested because unless well masticated, seeds will pass, as well. So I ground all the seeds coarsely. I still wanted the effect of the seed yet wanted to make the mixture malleable. But first, I tossed the seeds with a little salt and olive oil and then roasted them in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes to bring out their flavor.
Now, what makes this recipe different from every other nut bar is that other bars contain fruit and therefore mucho grams of sugar. This is the substance that I want to avoid so I decided that I can’t take the easy route and use dry fruit like dates or raisins, which I could soak, grind and use as a binder and flavor enhancer. I needed this thing to have no sugar in it. Besides, I wanted to make a salty, not sweet snack that was high in protein.
I decided that, knowing well the properties of substances, I could use the flax seed gelatin to bind the seed stick. All I had to do was to soak the ground flax seed with water then add this to the ground seed mixture already made. I then dumped the mixture onto a piece of waxed paper and rolled it into a ‘stick’. Then I molded it triangular for no apparent reason, they can be round or flat, too.
Next, I baked it in the oven for 20 minutes at a relatively low temperature to cook out the liquid and let the gel tighten, dry up and bind the seed stick. Letting the stick cool well hardens it up even more. After a day the stick is very firm and portable.
Now, to close let me leave you with a couple of things. First, I would not want to live off of these things. They have unique nutritive qualities that I would like to tap without planning a meal around them. They are snacks for energy and nutrients that I want to try to eat every day or so... and they taste pretty good, too.
The second point that I want to make is that I have used heat higher than necessary, if you want to make these snacks raw. I rather like them roasted and the higher heat burns off the natural cyanide that they may contain in small quantities. Whenever you concentrate a foodstuff you are also concentrating the negative properties it may contain. A good reason, for example, not to use commercial produce when juicing vegetables is to avoid the concentrated pesticides and herbicides present. Another reason why I like to cook things is that I believe in purification through fire. Not in a mystical sense, but because anything that is living on raw things that are passed from hand to hand on their way to my plate gets killed in my oven.
Recipe
4 oz pumpkin seeds
4 oz sunflower seeds
4 oz hemp seeds
1 oz flax seeds
2 oz boiling water
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Roast the seeds (except flax seeds) in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Toss the seeds in a bowl with the olive oil and the salt. Grind the flax seed in a food processor or grinder. In a small bowl mix the ground flax seed and the water and let rest for several minutes. Grind the other seeds coarsely and mix them with the flax seeds. Mold into stick shapes inside a piece of waxed paper then bake on a cookie sheet at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool. Recipe makes about 25 pieces.
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