Tiny leaves, big flavor

I recently visited the Greenbelt Microgreens greenhouse (say that ten times, fast) and the perfectionist in me fell in love with the perfectly organized rows and rows of microgreens, sprouts, and herbs. I left with a few hefty bags of vibrant greens, and dreams of flavor. It's awesome when your mind is running with culinary ideas and Bran and I spent the night testing out everything we could think of. From basil and blood orange cocktails to herb syrup. Somehow I narrowed it down to my favorite 3 recipes. As someone with a ton of dietary restrictions, new safe ingredients are always welcome in my kitchen.

A Real Garden Salad

Ingredients
a handful each of micro-arugula, sunflower sprouts, basil, mint, and cilantro
1 large orange, peeled and chopped
a good drizzle of soy sauce
just under 1 tbsp sunflower oil
salt and pepper to taste
a sprinkle of sesame seeds
the juice of either 1 lemon or 1 lime

Method
Toss all the greens and orange together in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle in the soy, oil, salt, pepper, sesame seeds, and citrus. Toss well and serve immediately!

Crunchy Sunflower Chips

If you're tired of kale chips, we feel ya. And we have the solution. 

Ingredients
a good handful of sunflower sprouts, washed and patted dry
1 tsp sunflower oil
salt to taste

Method
Toss the sprouts in sunflower oil and spread out evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 20 minutes at 375F. Salt to taste after roasting. 
Add extra flavour with a drizzle of lemon juice, a dash of paprika, or sprinkle with sesame or hemp seeds while hot for an extra crunchy texture

Swift Kick of Nutrition juice

This cold weather can really knock you down health-wise, so pick yourself up again with a smoothie that tastes good, feels wholesome, and is totally healthy. Just add all the ingredients below to a blender and pulse 'til your heart's content. Use cold orange juice if you aren't a fan of room temperature smoothies. 

Ingredients
one handful of micro-arugula
1/4 cup cucumber
1/2 a mango
1/4 cup orange juice
1 kiwi or golden kiwi
the juice of half a lime
if you like your juice a little sweeter try adding some honey

Have you tried microgreens or sprouts? Be sure to look for our follow-up article all about Greenbelt Microgreens in The Toronto Guardian!