Food Matters: Hemp seeds can help you keep your New Year's resolution to eat better

Seeds of entrepreneurial inspiration

New year, new you, right?

If you're thinking about ways to improve your eating in 2012, consider adding hemp seeds to your diet. The seeds, which are gluten-free, are packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals and the heart- and skin-healthy fatty acids that can also help balance hormones. They have almost twice the protein as flax seeds and a higher percentage of protein than beef. They are also a complete protein that delivers a set of amino acids that our bodies can't produce on their own.

"Even though the food has been around since 8,000 BC, most people don't know about it," says Tara Miko Grayless, who moved to Austin last year to launch her hemp seed company, Happy Hemp. She spends most Saturday mornings at the downtown farmers' market explaining the nutritional benefits of hemp seeds, how to cook with them and the crop's interesting role in American history.

Even though the Declaration of Independence was likely drafted on hemp paper and hemp fibers were used during World War II to make uniforms and rope, people often associate hemp with what Grayless calls "the black sheep" of the Cannabis sativa family: marijuana. According to the North American Industrial Hemp Council, both hemp and marijuana are members of Cannabis sativa, a species with hundreds of varieties, but industrial hemp is bred to maximize fiber, seed and/or oil, while marijuana varieties seek to maximize THC. Even though hemp is legal to sell and eat (and use to make clothing, oil, paper and even particle board), because of the botanical connection to marijuana, you can't grow it in the U.S. without a Drug Enforcement Administration permit, so Grayless works with farmers in Canada to source her product.

You can eat the seeds raw, but Grayless has found a number of ways to use them in everyday cooking and baking. She posts three or four new recipes a week on her blog, happyhemp.wordpress.com. "I try to be as informative as possible and make recipes that aren't complicated like chicken salads, turkey burger and chocolate chip cookies." She even has a recipe for hemp seed dog biscuits that she feeds her three rescue dogs.

Once you've opened a bag, the seeds will keep in the fridge for up to a year. You can buy the hemp seeds in 2-, 8- or 12-ounce packages (prices start at $6 for the smallest bag) at all four People's Pharmacy locations, the downtown farmers market on Saturdays and online at happy-hemp.com.

Chicken Salad with Hemp Seeds

1 lb. leftover chicken, pulled apart

1 green apple, chopped

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a skillet over medium heat, lightly toast the almonds, stirring frequently. Pull them off the heat when they are golden brown, but before they start to burn on the edges. In a large mixing bowl, combine almonds with the rest of the ingredients. Serve on toast, lettuce, crackers or alone.

— Happy Hemp owner Tara Miko Grayless

Adelbert's lets beers condition in the bottle

The Central Texas craft beer scene is evolving at breakneck speed, and the latest brewery to open, Adelbert's Brewery, is finding a way to stand out in a crowded field by offering Belgian-style, bottle-conditioned beers. "I didn't see the need to put out another amber ale, IPA or porter," says Adelbert's owner Scott Hovey, so he set out to make the kind of beer that you could serve at a fancy dinner or put in a cellar to age, just like a fine wine.

Last month, Hovey released the first two beers: the Scratching Hippo, a Biere de Garde ale, and the Rambler, a Belgian-style blonde ale. Both are available at several markets and bars around town, including Sunrise Mart on Anderson Lane, Rosedale Market, Hyde Park Market, Flying Saucer, Whip-In and Draught House. In coming weeks, Opal Divine's, Alamo Drafthouse and Homefield Grill will also start carrying the beer in kegs, and in the retail markets, you'll find them in 750 ml bottles. The dubbel ale — named Dancin Monks — and Tripel B, a tripel ale, will ship in February.

Hovey is encouraging customers to hold on to some of the bottles to age them. Because Hovey uses hops that can withstand the aging process, over time "the floral stuff will fade out, but you'll get more of that earthier, more complex flavor, kind of like a well-aged cheese." 568-1462, adelbertsbeer.com.