Buckwheat -- The Unsung Grain
Winter is a tough time for keeping up with a healthy diet. There aren't many fresh vegetables locally available and the cold weather makes you crave hearty "winter food." I know a lot of people who try to fight this feeling and attept to eat as they do in the warmer months. I grew up in Wisconsin and I think it's quite natural for people to want different food in winter. I my opinion, one important part of eating seasonally is to take a break from summer and fall foods during winter. If you do, it's just that much more satisfying to taste those first fruits and vegetables in the growing season.
I am starting off my seasonal cooking posts with two very simple but versatile recipes. I am going to show you how to cook whole buchwheat groats. There are too many people that either don't try to add a grain into a meal, or think that every grain they need to eat should be from ancient civilizations! While grains like quinoa, amaranth, and other "ancient grains" are quite healthy, there are plenty of health benefits and great tastes in other grains too.
The first recipe is made to be savory and can be used as a substitute for rice or pasta in some meals. It is also great on it's own paired with a meat or hearty winter vegetables. Buckwheat has a very unique nutty flavor that is extremely addicting. This is a must have recipe for cold winter meals.
Toasted Buckwheat and Egg
Ingredients:
1 Egg
1 cup Raw buckwheat groats
2 cups Broth (chicken broth, beef broth, or vegetable broth)
*Use low sodium if you use broth from the store
1 Tbsp Cooking oil (I recommend grapeseed or sunflower)
Optional fresh ground black pepper
The sodium and fat should be lower in this recipe.
This is based on a database that used full sodium generic broth.
Step 1: Toasting the buckwheat
Skip this step if your buckwheat is already toasted. If the color is the same as the picture above then you have pre-toasted buckwheat.
Preheat a large fry pan. *Dry, with no oil!*
Add the buckwheat to the pan and toast for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly.
You can tell when it's done by the smell and the color will change to a dark nutty brown
Step 2: Cooking the egg into the buckwheat
After toasting, add the oil to the buckwheat and stir until everything is coated and cook for an additional 1 minute
When the buckwheat looks shiny from the oil, add the egg on top of the buckwheat
Quickly stir in the egg and mix thoroughly to try and coat the grain in the egg.
Continue to cook until the egg looks fluffy
Mixing well and cooking until the egg is done is very important! If you don't, the buckwheat will turn out soggy rather than fluffy
Step 3: Cooking the buckwheat
After the egg is cooked add the 2 cups broth to the pan
Do not stir when you add the liquid! This can also make the buckwheat soggy
Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes
During the 15 minutes do not open the lid
After 15 minutes test a small spoonful if it is done or still crunchy
If crunchy, continue to cook for 3-4 minutes -- add water if necessary
If you are serving alone you can add fresh ground black pepper to taste
This second recipe is a great way to change up breakfasts any time of the year. I wanted to add it to this seasonal cooking post while I was talking about buckwheat. Its amazing how a different cooking method and some slightly sweet toppings can completely change your buckwheat experience.
Breakfast Buckwheat Porridge
Ingredients:
1 cup Raw buckwheat groats
1 small Cinnamon stick
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Ground cinnamon (If you don't like extra cinnamon taste just use the stick)
2.5 cups Milk (can be substituted for water if you have dairy problems)
These values are without any additional toppings!
Step 1: Toasting and soaking the buckwheat
The night before, Pre-heat a medium size pot on medium heat and add the buckwheat
Toast for 2-3 minutes or until it smells nutty and the color changes to a nutty brown
Then add water to the put until you cover all of the buckwheat
Cover and let sit unil the morning (This helps reduce cooking time in the morning!)
Step 2: Cooking the buckwheat
In the morning, drain the buckwheat and shake off the excess water
Put the buckwheat back in the pot, add the milk (or water), cinnamon stick, vanilla and ground cinnamon and stir
Cover and simmer on low until almost all of the milk has been cooked off (approximately 10 mintues)
Do not stir while it is simmering, but make sure it is cooking low enough that you don't burn the bottom!
When the porridge is finished the buckwheat should be soft, but not mushy
Add the toppings and enjoy!
Suggested topping mixes:
Honey, flax seeds, and blueberries
Raw brown sugar, banana slices, and walnut
Dates and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, chia)
Raisins and yogurt
A touch of mayple syrup
A touch of molasses
Just keep in mind that the buckwheat flavor is a bit robust for the mornings and a little natural sweetness mixed with the cinnamon and vanilla really mellows it out.
Bonus Info!
As the title of this post says, buckwheat has become a bit of an unsung hero of the grain family. Like most other whole grains, buckwheat has plenty of health benefits to make it worth adding to your diet. The fiber content in 100g of raw buckwheat is 10g. That means that 10% of its total weight is helping you feel full while providing no calories and some digestive benefits. Buckwheat also has 13g of protein per 100g raw grain. That goes toe to toe with the "ancient grains" of quinoa and amaranth which both have 14g. It also beats protein levels for brown rice, corn, and millet. On top of all of that, buckwheat also provides at least some amount of all the essential amino acids that humans cannot make by themselves.
Buckwheat also contains fairly high levels of substances called polyphenols. These are a type of antioxidant. They are beginning to be considered as beneficial for preventing cancers and cardiovascular disease One study that I found determined that when compared to another grain, barley, buckwheat also retained more of these phenolic compounds after cooking. Other studies have also shown that buckwheat has some amount of positive effect on high blood pressure and high cholesterol. A study done by the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology in Tokyo found that an extract derived from buckwheat bran showed a decrease in blood sugar levels when given to mice following sugar consumption. So perhaps in the future buckwheat might also prove to have health benefits for those struggling with diabetes.
In general high fiber, whole grain foods like buckwheat are always a good addition to anyone's diet. Period. Enjoy your new friend buckwheat! : )
Sources:
Hęś M, Dziedzic K, Górecka D, Drożdżyńska A, Gujska E. Effect of Boiling in Water of Barley and Buckwheat Groats on the Antioxidant Properties and Dietary Fiber Composition. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands). 2014;69(3):276-282. doi:10.1007/s11130-014-0425-x.
Jonnalagadda SS, Harnack L, Hai Liu R, et al. Putting the Whole Grain Puzzle Together: Health Benefits Associated with Whole Grains—Summary of American Society for Nutrition 2010 Satellite Symposium. The Journal of Nutrition. 2011;141(5):1011S-1022S. doi:10.3945/jn.110.132944.
Hosaka T, Nii Y, Tomotake H, Ito T, Tamanaha A, Yamasaka Y, Sasaga S, Edazawa K, Tsutsumi R, Shuto E, Okahisa N, Iwata S, Sakai T. Extracts of common buckwheat bran prevent sucrose digestion. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2011;57(6):441-5. PubMed PMID: 22472288.
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