Sunflower Seed Goodness

I just soaked a whole bunch of whole raw sunflower seeds for 12 hours which I now plan on tossing into my salad and whatever is leftover will get thrown into my garden.

Then I thought, good topic to write on because these seeds are yummy, underrated and often overlooked because of newer trendier seeds that have come to the market, But alas, popular and trendy is not always better. As the Dr i The Kitchen, I say, “Let’s get back to the basics”

Not long ago, sunflower seeds were recognized as healthy nutrition … for birds! Oh ya, and as kids we used to munch on them, they came in bags coated with tons of salt, yummy then, kind of taboo now. Now you can find shelled varieties, unshelled varieties and they come salted, roasted, plain, flavored, sprouted, so many choices!

Step aside my flying bird friends cause the nutritional profile of sunflower seeds makes them ideal for us humans, too. One ounce of shelled sunflower seeds contains nearly 50% the Daily Value for Vitamin E, they deliver a handful of antioxidants, powerhouse compounds that support optimal health, unsaturated good fats and they also contain fiber, magnesium, phosphorus and selenium. Many good reasons to have a handful of these superseeds today.

Store these seeds in an air-tight container in the refrigerator because once they are shelled they can go rancid. If you’ve purchase large quantities you can also freeze them.

Here is a recipe to make sunflower seed pate. I used to make this all of the time and wrap it in seaweed or green collars or just eat with flackers ( www.drinthekitchen.com )

Here is the recipe.

1 and 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds
1/4-1/2 of a sweet onion or red onion
1-2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon miso, or more to taste
1 bunch parsley and or cilantro, stems removed
juice from 1/2 a lemon or lime
freshly ground black pepper or cayenne

Soak sunflower seeds in water for about 6 hours. Add a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to the soaking water to help break down the phytates in the raw seeds, making them more digestible. Strain. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until creamy. Serve with flackers, crackers, veggies or use as a sandwich spread.