As I continue on my path to increased (balanced) health, I often add cultured vegetables to my daily routine. I’m sure many of you understand the benefits of occasionally taking probiotic supplements for gut and immunity health, however, I’m not sure many folks understand the added benefit of consuming cultured vegetables on a frequent basis. I personally have been consuming fermented veggies for many years and believe the use of fermentation is extremely beneficial for anyone dealing with everyday stress or chronic disease. Today’s recipe was created as a simple way to start using fermented products in your everyday meals. I’ve created a Gut Loving Nut Tuna, made in under 10 minutes, filled with the probiotic power of fermented vegetables.
We are blessed to live in a time where tending to our ferments is no longer necessary. Instead, we have several companies to choose from at our local markets and natural food stores. This is incredibly helpful for those folks with a busy lifestyle and limited time for meal planning. Even those of us who spend much of our time working out recipes in the kitchen, these pre-packaged ferments are a life-saver.
A couple of my FAV companies include:
Happy Pantry – They truly have some of the best products I’ve tried. Packaged in glass bottles with a plethora of combinations, from krauts to kimchi, you’ll definitely find a combination that fits your lifestyle and taste buds.
Note: I purchase my Happy Pantry products at the local farmers markets here in San Diego: Little Italy, Saturday mornings or Leucadia, Sunday mornings
Farmhouse Culture – “Farmhouse Culture infuses Old World fermentation traditions with innovative New World flavors and lets nature do the preserving.”
I think that pretty much sums it up. Simple, raw ingredients fermented to perfection, giving us the gut-loving probiotic power we need in our daily lives.
Why raw, fermented products?
Fermented foods help to increase the healthy flora in your gut, beneficial for your digestive tract, immune system, and skin.
Shhh!!! It’s my hidden secret at the age of 52, no need for fillers, needles and lasers when you can eat your way to beauty with fermentation!
Gut Loving Nut Tuna
My nut tuna starts with soaked and sprouted sunflower seeds and soaked almonds. The soaking and sprouting process makes these nuts and seeds a little more digestible and gives them a slightly sweetened taste that I love in this recipe.
- 1 cup organic raw almonds, soaked overnight, drained, skins removed
- 1 cup organic raw sunflower seeds, soaked overnight, drained and allowed to sprout - approximately 12 hours.
- 2-3 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1-2 Bubbies Pickles, finely chopped (optional, but I happen to like the taste)
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped Wakame, soaked to rehydrate and rinsed well (Note: I use fresh Waikaitu wakame because it is from the clean waters of New Zealand)
- 1/4 large red onion or 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
- Juice from 1 small lemon
- 1 Tablespoon coconut nectar
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
- 1/4 cup of your favorite fermented veggies. This is such a customizable recipe. Changing the type of fermented veggies you use will transform this dish. I happen to love the taste and color of krauts made with fermented beets.
- Soak nuts and seeds overnight.
- Drain and rinse almonds. Remove skins and place in refrigerator until ready for use.
- Drain, rinse and being sprouting sunflower seeds. (about 12 hours)
- Using a food processor, add soaked almonds, sprouted sunflower seeds and sea salt.
- Pulse until a crumble begins to form. We're simply trying to create very small pieces of nuts and seeds, over pulsing will result in a nut butter - not what we want in this dish.
- Pour mixture into a medium-size mixing bowl.
- Combine lemon juice and coconut nectar (feel free to substitute maple syrup) in a small mixing bowl. Stir,
- Pour over nut mixture.
- Add chopped onion, wakame, pickles and dill. Gently stir to combine.
- Serve cold on a bed of fresh lettuce or on your favorite bread.
- ENJOY!
- raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free
- All recipes and images are protected under copyright laws and owned by Kris Kelly and Goofy Foot Foods.