Raw Buckwheat Porridge

Thanks to the influence of my lovely kitchen mates, porridge has become my go-to breakfast since coming to Fuerteventura. My morning is not complete until there's a steaming bowl of oats with dried figs, nuts, cinnamon and apple marmalade sitting in front of me. Do we all get in these ruts of eating? Same breakfasts day after day, even the same lunches. Just different dinners. So long as dinner is different it's all good, right?

So to change the order of my breakfast routine? The horror!

Truth is, the weather's warming up on the island, so I'm no longer feeling the need for a warm heavy breakfast, (lunch, and dinner), but I still want to feel nourished, energized, and sustained for the day ahead. Enter Raw Buckwheat Porridge.

Soaked buckwheat groats, blended with almonds, apple, orange juice, and cardamom serve as a lightly sweetened sturdy base for fresh fruit, ground seeds, honey, dried coconut, nut butter, truly anything your heart desires.

Raw buckwheat groats, not to be confused with Kasha which is toasted buckwheat, is a special grain. Despite it's name, buckwheat actually contains no wheat, which is good news for anyone adhering to a low-inflammation diet. As a whole grain, buckwheat is a complex carbohydrate, filled with fiber, and all 8 essential amino acids. It also touts the benefits of B-complex vitamins, magnesium, manganese, and iron. Unlike cereal grains such as wheat and barley which grow from a grass crop, buckwheat grows from a plant crop, which technically makes it a seed. It is of a similar family as quinoa, amaranth, and chia seeds. It can be though of as a super food as it is nutrient dense, not to mention easily digested by many.

Soaking makes digestion and absorption even easier on your body. Did I mention it tastes great? Win, win.

Let's get soaking!

Raw Buckwheat Porridge 

with Apple, Orange, and Cardamom   serves 2

• 2/3 cup raw buckwheat groats
• 2/3 cup almonds or walnuts
• 1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• filtered water for soaking
• 2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 orange, juiced
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)

 1. Place the buckwheat groats and nuts in two separate bowls to soak. Cover with filtered water, add lemon juice to the buckwheat and let rest overnight or for at least one hour. Drain, and rinse.

2. You may want to reserve 1/2 cup of soaked buckwheat groats to add later for more of a chewy texture, otherwise, place all ingredients into a food processor or high speed blender and process until smooth. If you set aside some groats, add them now, separate into three bowls and go wild with the toppings!

 
There's a great cafe in Seattle, called Portage Bay, that serves a phenomenal breakfast, the star of which being their toppings bar. Any time you order oatmeal, pancakes, or french toast, you're granted a trip to the toppings bar, which is filled with fruit, nuts, whip cream (hello!), and some others. The first time I went was with my best friend Alix, who also has a great love for food, we spent the first ten minutes eating in silence and admiring our plates. This is what a great breakfast will do to you.

Go soak some buckwheat groats and nuts right now and you'll have a marvelous morning under way.

Enjoy!