Buckwheat

After I set up my dehydrator, I knew exactly what I wanted to make first. CEREAL! It's been several years since I've enjoyed a serious bowl of cereal. I have to say, it was a wonderful reunion with one of my old favorite treats. I figured that making raw cereal would be simple and delicious, but didn't want to prop my oven door open in lieu of a dehydrator. And I could never justify the price tag of the raw cereals at the store, so i drifted away from my cereal habit. 

I loved the simplicity of Ani's Buckwheat Crispies recipe, but had never made it because I didn't have a dehydrator. Her basic recipe is also a springboard for pizza crusts, biscuits, muesli, bars and would make a great addition to cobblers and parfaits or a yummy crunchy topping for desserts like pudding and ice cream. I simply soaked 1 cup of Buckwheat Groats overnight in 3 cups of filtered water. I rinsed them well and spread them onto the dehyrator trays. 3 hours later I had cereal! Real, raw, honest-to-oh-my-goodness-cereal. 

Today, I poured it into a bowl with some fresh, newly created Vanilla Banana Cashew Milk. Heavenly. 

This combination had a simple and organic evolution today: I made the crispies on Friday and had happily been snacking on them in their simplist form: straight out of the jar by the handful. Today, I made the Vanilla Banana Cashew Smoothie to enjoy during a blustery baseball game this afternoon. Instead of just washing the remnants out of the Vita Mix, I added 2 cups of water and blended it on high to clear the thicker mixture from the sides of the blender. I poured that liquid into a glass container and stored it in the fridge. *

When I got home from the game, I was HUNGRY. Hence the bowl of buckwheat crispies and the milk.  

I'll get to the recipes in just a sec. Let me tell you just a little bit about buckwheat. Raw, organic buckwheat groats are inexpenseive and are easily found in the bulk section. I had done a little research on Buckwheat previously since my husband had developed an addiction intense craving for buckwheat soba noodles after having them here. They have since replaced the noodles in his weekly batch of homemade chicken noodle soup (the only dish I prepare with meat these days -- I'm holding off on meat preparation until I finish this book.). A good trade off from the tradtional egg noodles and more nutritious than the organic pasta too:

The Notable Nutrients in Soba

Nutritionally buckwheat provides vitamins B1 and B2, several minerals, and nearly twice the amount of proteins found in rice. Rutin, a kind of bioflavonoid that includes the catechins of green tea and the polyphenols of red wine, is not found in other grains or beans, but is contained in great quantity in buckwheat. This bioflavonoid strengthens capillaries and so helps people suffering from arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. Recent studies indicate that rutin is also a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals, which are responsible for many cancers.

Health Benefits of Buckwheat

Buckwheat also contains choline. Choline, a compound in the vitamin B complex that plays an important role in metabolism, lowers blood pressure, and decreases cholesterol.

The following is the summary of the major health benefits of buckwheat.

Decreases cholesterol

Lowers blood pressure

Reduces fat accumulation

Promotes healthy bowel movements

Fits a well-balanced and low-calorie diet

More info here. And HERE.

Alright now, on to the recipes.

Ani's Buckwheat Crispies

1 cup raw organic buckwheat groats

3 cups filtered water

Soak groats in water in large bowl overnight. In the morning, drain, rinse very well, and spready evenly on dehydrator trays at 104 degrees for 3-4 hours or until completely dry.

Store in airtight jar.

Vanilla Banana Cashew Smoothie and Milk

2 cups filtered water

1/2 cup cashews (soaked for at least one hour)

3 pitted medjool dates

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon alcohol free vanilla extract

1 banana

Blend all ingredients in high speed blender until smooth & creamy. The beauty of this smoothie is that you can enjoy it at room temp or add ice for a cool, satisfying shake or pour it into a saucepan and warm it on the stove on a low temp for a warm, comforting cup of goodness. I suggest adjusting the amount of water to your own preference. Just remember that if you want to make the Milk, make sure you don't make your smoothie so thin that you don't have enough "reserve" in your blender. Two drinks in one! So great! 

Milk

Once you pour your smoothie out, you'll have plenty of extra stuck in your blender.  Simply add 1 1/2 - 2 cups of filtered water and blend until well mixed. Store in glass container in the fridge.

I haven't had the chance to try this recipe with coconut water yet, but that would be a delicious variation!

Buckwheat on it's own is going to give you some delicious health benefits. Add the hearty goodness of this yummy milk, and you're good to go!

*I used to get a bit frustrated when I looked at the bottom of my Vita Mix and knew I couldn't get a lot of the delicious dressing/cream/sauce/ etc. out without a lot of spatula time. Lately I've been blending water into the remnants at the bottom of the Vitamix and learned that what looks like the sad dregs of sauces or salad dressings can turn into the delicious and flavorful base for soups. Coconut cashew cream remnants blended up with just a little water turns into a great milk or smoothie base as well. 

If you get the chance, make this recipe soon so you have a delightfully healthy choice for breakfast or snack for the rest of your week. The milk will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for about 5 days and the crispies will last in an airtight container for months.

Have a wonderful week everyone!