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Hemp is probably not the first thing that pops into your head as a top ingredient for your pasta salad, but it's time to rethink this miracle plant.
The edible part of hemp, found in the meat of its shelled seed, offers many nutritional rewards. For thousands of years, the populations of China, India, Egypt and others have all tapped into its natural goodness.
Elephant in the room? Yes hemp is Cannabis. But no, the edible portion of it does not contain TCH, the psychoactive substance associated with marijuana.
According to Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods & Oils, a company that owns and operates an organic certified hemp facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, hemp boasts:
- Balanced, high concentration of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids
- Strong digestible protein profile
- Plentiful fiber
- Abundant vitamins and minerals.
- A rare plant food source of the "super" omega-6 EFA gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)
- Higher protein content than protein levels found in nuts, other seeds, meats, dairy products, fish and poultry.
Environmentally-speaking, hemp requires no pesticides or fertilizers to grow; it's incredibly gentle on the earth. Too bad we can't grow it stateside—but if you're interested in changing that, check out Vote Hemp and take action; or check out the section devoted to hemp and food.
Try this tasty, warm salad and taste for yourself.
Hemp Orzo Pasta Salad
1 cup Orzo pasta, boil in salted water
Fold in:
2 tbsp Manitoba Harvest cold-pressed hemp seed oil
1 tbsp Manitoba Harvest hemp seed butter
1 tbsp Manitoba Harvest shelled hemp seed
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp agave nectar
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp Bragg's amino acid, or tamari, or shoyu
1/3 tsp black pepper, or cayenne
small cucumber, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters
1 cup of black beans & pinto beans, or garbanzo beans, or shelled edamame
Recipe Source: Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods & Oil.
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