INGREDIENT - Beansprout Bonanza

Photo Credit: su-lin on flickr.com

There are more uses for beansprouts than you might think. I like the mung bean variety and here is why they are a favourite of mine....

• You can use as an alternative to rice. It will make for a huge calorie saving. 100g of beansprouts contain around 27 calories, compared to up to 350 calories in 100g of basmati rice and up to 360 in the same amount of rice noodles. Not good for a big energy fix, but perfect for the evening meal.
  
  
• Add to your Stirfry, curry, salad or stew to get more of your 5 a day. Add them right at the end to keep some crunch. My new favourite flavours are coconut, lime and chilli.
  
  
• Use as a vegetable with your usual meal, just add some soy sauce, garlic and seasoning and stir fry for 2 minutes. It doesn't have to be an oriental meal either. I like sweetcorn and beansprouts with anything.
  
  
• Try making your own spring rolls. You could use just vegetables, or try chicken or duck too.
  
  
• Beansprouts can add something extra to salads too. A cold noodle salad, with sweet chilli sauce is simply divine. Protest against the boring old sandwich.
  
  
• Although some people would argue that canned vegetables are not as nice as fresh, I would buy beansprouts in a tin as they will last so much longer. Fresh beansprouts have a very short shelf life and really do not taste nice if not eaten promptly.