BEAN THERE, DONE THAT...CLICKETY CLICK!

Pep without purpose is piffle.

Anonymous

Beans & Lentils...Naturally beautiful!

(My entry for CLICK May 2008)

FULL OF BEANS...

It's the CLICK time of the month @ Jugalbandi, & this time very nearly missed the boat. To begin with my little fellow was unwell, & then I thought I would hone some photography skills before I send in an entry. Messed up LOADS of clicks majorly...NO, I DON'T HAVE A NEW CAMERA YET... (am still busy flogging the old one & it still gives me ample joy).

The theme for May 2008 is CLICK Beans n Lentils

The temptation though is too much once the CLICK theme for the month is announced, & tends to seep into my sub conscience. So I've bean, oops, been spilling my beans, sprouting my beans, been not so full of beans...& finally...

BEAN there, done that!

I just got back into good ole auto on my little camera & clicked some pretty beans 'n' lentils! To tell you the truth, never once thought beans could be so fascinating. It all started when I was soaking some whole moong dal for sprouts the other night...I looked at them & CLICK!!

Took a handful of those, & found myself reaching out to other lentils on the shelf. Settled for chick peas & horse gram too. I thought the combination was beeeeeeeeeeeeeeautiful! I'm putting the post together for CLICK first, & will hopefully post the 'Sprouted Moong Dal Salad' sometime soon.

Day 1 & then Day 3

• Found this really interesting article about sprouts on Oprah.com, sprouts are called Superfood No. 9.

"Sprouts are a highly nutritious food. Grown locally year round, sprouts are a good source of protein and vitamin C. A sprout is produced when a seed starts growing into a vegetable. Sprouts can grow from the seeds of vegetables, grains, legumes, buckwheat, and beans. Sprouts vary in texture and taste. Some are spicy (radish and onion sprouts), some are hardy and often used in Asian cuisines (mung bean), while others are more delicate (alfalfa), and add texture and moistness to salads and sandwiches.

All nutrients necessary for life are contained in seeds—a food category that includes grain kernels, beans, legumes, and nuts. Because sprouts are so fresh, and do not sit for days or weeks in warehouses, we know that we are getting optimum nutrition. "

Also found something very interesting at Indira's blog @ Mahanadi. She's calling for mango based food art...for a creative event called Mango Manthram.

In her words, " The color and shape of the mango are an artist’s dream. Mango tree, mango leaves, mango fruit in various stages of development, and the scrumptious dishes we can prepare with mango - the magic of mangoes is a timeless tradition that is steeped in art, history and romance. Bring your own touch, and interpret your mango memories and experiences through Food Art. The field is wide open". So you can see how carried away I got. Had the time of my life; was transported back to gleeful childhood where I remember making fishes out of dal! Here I tried my hand making mangoes using the same dals! Was relieved when the boy said "Nice mangoes Mama", which meant they remotely resembled mangoes, & the daughter declared them COOL!!

My entry for Mango Manthram @ Mahanadi