Rice? Beans? HELP! I don't know what I'm doing!

[granola.revolution]

So I'm trying the raw food thing, but I need so much help it's not even funny.

I've googled sprouting and soaking rice and beans but I don't think I'm doing it right. Everytime I soak something, I feel sick when I eat it. I've tried chick peas, black turtle beans and wehani rice so far. Ew, and apparently when flaxseed is soaked it turns into this glue-like thing. Gross! I'm sure it's useful in other ways though.

Anyway, I've been told not to soak certain types of beans, black beans being one of them. Are chick peas the other type of bean you don't soak? I read that wehani rice was suggested for raw food diets, but it's hard and gross. How do you prepare soaked rice? What kind of spices do you use, or dressing, or whatever? Am I even supposed to eat raw rice? These were soaked, not sprouted.

Someone help me! What can I soak, what should I sprout, and what can I dress it with so it doesn't taste like poo and make me sick?

Thanks so much for your help!

[Spectatrix]

A lot of raw foodists don't bother with rice and beans... soaking & sprouting seeds and nuts is common, though. I dont' know about black beans, but I've seen recipes calling for sprouted chick peas.

And yes, flaxseed gets gelatinous when soaked. You can use a bit of flax gel in smoothies or for flaxseed crackers made in a dehydrator (if you have one).

[Lay-Lay]

I soak my chickpeas. I also do kidney beans, lima beans, black eyed peas, and others. I;m trying to remember if I have done black beans and I'm pretty sure I have. I have never done rice. Yes flaxseeds do that.

Make it easy on yourself and pick up a copy of Alissa Cohen's book.

[threedogs]

I just started recently - I've given up on sprouted beans (never did try rice - doesn't appeal to me). They make me sick, too, and I do NOT like the taste. Same for the sprouted grains. Just decided to do without them, but I'm not totally 100% yet. Keep falling off the raw-food-wagon (but keep getting back up again, too!! :) )

[rawpriestess]

Hi just don't eat beans or rice, I do use some grains, very few in my recipes.


Alissa's book is Amazing, it will give you tons of great recipes and answer alot of those sprouting questions.

Flax seeds get gelatinous, that is why they work so well in crackers and recipes, they help bind the food together, especially when dehydrating.

but I'd much rather use seeds or nuts of coconut instead of beans, I have tried them at pot lucks, and I don't like the taste of them, but then never really liked them cooked either.

[Spectatrix]

I soak my chickpeas. I also do kidney beans, lima beans, black eyed peas, and others. I;m trying to remember if I have done black beans and I'm pretty sure I have.

You've had raw kidney beans? They're supposed to be incredibly toxic when uncooked...

[MaddMelon]

I always thought that the jelly-like flax seeds were oodles of fun. I was always a strange kid I suppose. Put them in a blender/food processor whip them up with some onion, garlic, salt, a sprinkle of lime, dehydrate and then they make a really tastey cracker!