soak it up

be sure to soak your dog too

Soaking is important. There are so many different sources of how long to soak which nuts and differing opinions, it's enough to make your head spin! Fortunately, I use similar types of seeds so I know how long to soak those. And if I do something new, I consult a handy chart in one of the dozen raw food guides I have or look it up online.

Why soak? Well nuts and some seeds have something called enzyme inhibitors on them. This means the enzymes are not able to be active and help you digest the food. Some people are more sensitive than others. I find if I am grinding up the nut or seed I can get away with not soaking it from time to time. But usually, I soak.

The seeds I soak most frequently are: chia, sunflower, and clover. The nuts I soak the most often are hazelnuts and almonds. I do use walnuts and pecans, but according to most sources you don't have to soak those. The rule of thumb for me is typically all day or overnight (8-12 hours). However sunflower seeds are an exception and only need a few hours until soft. Chia seeds only need a few minutes.

Below I am soaking several things: flax seeds for a cracker recipe, sunflower seeds for salad dressing, clover seeds for sprouting, and inca berries. There are some sources that say to soak dried fruit. I find I digest inca berries a lot better when I soak them. (If you haven't tried them, I suggest you do, they are incredible tasting--very tart--and so good for you!)

clockwise from the big bowl: flax seeds, sunflower seeds, inca berries, clover seeds

I use filtered water to soak nuts and seeds. That's what I drink so it just makes sense to me. We soak hazelnuts to make hazelnut milk. A lot of people use almond milk but since most almonds are pastuerized in the United States, they aren't as alive as non-pasturized nuts. We also can get a better deal on them because they are local. When we are running low or out of hazelnut milk, I simply put some nuts on to soak the night before. Then I am ready to make milk out of them in the morning. (Click here for how to make nut milk)

The following items include soaked seeds! Here are some dressed-up cheese-it crackers. I like avocado to cut some of the spice. You can find the cheese-it recipe here.

raw cheese-its with avocado, tomato, hemp seeds, sea salt

I found this recipe for a sweet cracker and it got rave reviews from someone who had tried it so I had to test it myself. At first glace, it appears to be very "flaxy", but the banana and the cinnamon cover up the flax taste nicely. They are very delicious and taste just like cinnamon toast to me.

mock cinnamon toast!

Cinnamon Raisin Flax Crackers
from Brigitte Mars (brigittemars.com)
Makes about 2 dozen crackers

Ingredients:
2 C flax seeds
4 C water
1 1/2 C raisins + 1/2 C raisins
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 bananas, peeled
1 tsp. sea salt

Preparation:
Soak the seeds in the water for about 2 hours, and do not strain. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, stirring in additional 1/2 C raisins by hand. Spread the mixture onto three solid dehydrator sheets. Dehydrate for 4 hours @ 110 degrees. Remove the dehydrator sheets and flip the crackers. At this time you may also score the crackers with a soft table knife. Continue dehydrating until they are crisp - about 6 hours. When dry, the crackers will keep for several weeks in an air-tight container.


Now, go make like a nut and take a soak! (Not too long, human skin cannot handle 8-12 hours.)


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