I’d never had Cream of Wheat cereal before, let alone Cream of Buckwheat! But when browsing through this month’s Secret Recipe Club assigned blog, Sustainable Cooking for One, I stumbled across Stephanie’s recipe for cream of buckwheat and determined to give it a try.
Why buckwheat? For one thing, it’s not related at all to wheat, so it’s safe for my wheat-allergic little guys. For another, it’s not a grain but it cooks and bakes up just like one, which is a really great quality if you’re trying to reduce your grain consumption. I am also intrigued by the fact that (according to Wikipedia), it was widely cultivated in American during the 18th and 19th centuries but was replaced by wheat, which responded better to chemical fertilizers. I always prefer to eat what previous generations ate because I consider them, in general, to be much healthier than our current generation!
I highly recommend that you check out buckwheat for yourself - it comes in a few different forms: flour, kasha (hot cereal/cream of buckwheat) and groats. The groats are the whole “grain” (fruit seed, actually), and are often available in bulk bins at health food stores. I personally prefer to buy the groats because I can grind them up to make either flour or hot cereal. I use my Vitamix to grind them up; if you don’t have one, you’ll probably want to grind them in small portions in a coffee grinder.
A word of warning, though: buckwheat can have a strong flavor if you’re not used to it, especially the flour. I really despised the flavor when I made buckwheat pancakes for my little guys (although they loved it!) from store-bought buckwheat flour, but when I grind it myself, it tastes SO much better. My suggestion is to mix it first with other flours or grains that you do enjoy before trying it straight.
You can also do the same with this cereal: try mixing it with steel cut oats if you’ve never had buckwheat before.
I modified Stephanie’s original recipe only slightly, using strawberries (what I had) instead of the berries she recommends, and significantly increasing the amounts in the recipe to make one large batch.
Berry Cream of Buckwheat Cereal
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat groats
- 3 cups water and/or milk/milk substitute
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 TBSP ground flaxseed
- 1-2 TBSP raw honey
- dab of butter or ghee
Instructions
- The night before, grind the buckwheat groats in high-powered blender or coffee grinder until chopped fine. Mix the buckwheat with the water, and cover lightly. Let it soak overnight.
- In the morning, bring the buckwheat and water to a boil; simmer until thickened and smooth. Stir in the strawberries and flaxseed and cook until strawberries are softened and warmed through.
- Remove from heat and stir in honey. Scoop into bowls, and top with butter or ghee and additional honey, if desired. Garnish with strawberries, if desired.
This is not as QUICK as instant oatmeal; but about the same time as steel cut oats.
It’s very EASY; you can skip the extra soaking step if you want, but it increases the cooking time.
Buckwheat groats are not as CHEAP as more common grains, but they’re definitely affordable.
And they’re very HEALTHY; buckwheat has great antioxidants and high levels of magnesium. It’s also an excellent source of fiber and protein, making it an excellent candidate for a healthy breakfast!
Be sure to browse around Sustainable Cooking for One for more great healthy recipe ideas, and tell Stephanie I sent you! And check out the Secret Recipe Club website to find out more about this regular monthly event and how to join in on the fun!
