We Discover : Sunflower On Your Plate!
By Kilo Solution Nutrition Experts
Originally from South America, sunflower would be one of the first plants cultivated in the United States. At maturity, the sunflower points eastwards towards the rising sun, thus offering a magnificent visual show! Let’s explore its culinary uses.
Did you know?
The true flowers of the sunflower are not the big yellow petals, but the thousands of small dots in the center of the sunflower. The plant blooms about ten rows a day, from the outside to the inside. These thousands of small flowers then give the seeds of sunflower (each flower produces a seed). The sunflower, which is fairly flat at the beginning, starts to bulge in the center part as the seeds are formed.
Sunflower: its oil and its butter!
The vast majority of sunflower oils found on the market are rich in polyunsaturated fats, particularly omega-6 fatty acids. For cooking, the better is to choose oil with a high content of oleic acid, a type of fatty acid that is resistant to heat. Sunflower oil also adds great flavor to salads and grilled vegetables when used as dressing.
Champy, a Québec-produced sunflower oil, stands out from the competition because of its fatty acid profile. Cold pressed, this oil contains mostly monounsaturated fats (55 to 65% of its composition), which are resistant to heat. A proud competitor of olive oil in the kitchen!
Have you ever tried sunflower butter? With a nutritional value similar to that of peanut butter, it can be an interesting alternative to peanut butter to put on your morning toasts.
Sunflower: its seeds!
When combined with dried fruit, added to homemade desserts or used as topping on yogurt, the sunflower seeds are tasty. In addition, they contain essential fats, fibers and proteins. Ladies, sunflower seeds, like other seeds (chia, linen, hemp and pumpkin) are valuable beauty allies!
Sunflower: its sprouts!
Delicious and tasty, the sunflower sprouts decorate delicately a plate. A concentrate of vitamins to discover!
Recipe to try with sunflower oil: Vegetarian Burger and Homemade Spicy Mayonnaise
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* This article was published in Kilo Solution Magazine on April 6, 2017.