As autumn rolls around, I remember fields of summer buckwheat in bloom. We rolled down our car windows. The air was thick and sultry, no air conditioning then. We inhaled the fresh air as we drove.
"It smells like a barn!" I looked for cows in the fields but there were none in sight.
"That's buckwheat blooming!" My Mother smiled.
I covered my nose.
However, I love buckwheat pancakes, one of the few carbohydrate foods I would eat. My Mom made them out of a ready mix box, just add milk and egg. I said "no" naturally to white flower pancakes, waffles, noodles and breads. Why? If I didn't like it, I didn't eat it.
I watched the cakes sizzle on the griddle~I think it was the yummy fat I really liked. I ate my dark colored buckwheat cakes free of syrup, but loved them with pure butter, lots of it. I didn't care for melted butter on the buckwheat, but preferred cold chunks of fresh cut butter instead. I think it is my love of separation of flavors and foods that I chose this way of enjoyment. I can taste these nutritious treats vicariously through memories streaming in as I write. My mouth waters.
I found out buckwheat is not a wheat. It is a seed of a broad leaf plant related to rhubarb. Buckwheat seeds are shaped like little triangles. The flowers are soft white with a touch of pink in the center. Five petals shape little stars.
Cocoa Buckwheat Muffin
Buckwheat flour and cereal can be cooked into a variety of nutritious dishes including cookies and muffins using cocoa powder or chocolate chips if desired. One of my favorite Buckwheat Recipes is * Old World Cauliflower Soup. I like to combine buckwheat cereal with oats and quinoa as a mixed cereal or add a spoonful of buckwheat cereal to soups and stews.
Benefits of buckwheat include: blood vessel elasticity, gluten free (it is a seed, not a grain). Buckwheat is a complex carbohydrate that may help balance glucose levels. Buckwheat is a good source of fiber and protein providing all amino acids. ** "It is also nature's best source of the bioflavanoid rutin." *** "In combination with the proteins trypsin and bromelain rutin can be used for osteoarthritis."
Mildred's Easy Buckwheat Applesauce Pancake Recipe
makes 6-8 medium sized pancakes
1 cup organic buckwheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
whisk together
in another bowl
beat 1 egg and add
1 cup unsweetened organic almond milk
1/2 cup organic unsweetened applesauce
stir and pour over dry ingredients
Mix well, form batter.
Optional: You can add pecans, walnuts, and/or raisins. Season to taste with cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, or cumen. For extra sweetness, add 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar to the mix.
I use grape seed oil for frying buckwheat cakes over medium heat, turn after 5 minutes. Test for doneness,
Enjoy!
Related Posts:
Field of Greens, Kale Kale the Gangs All Here (Mar 2014)
Addiction and Discovery, Exploring Food and more (Aug 2014)
Resources:
* Pocono Cream of Buckwheat Cereal, organic, The Birkett Mills. Old World Cauliflower Soup Recipe on package and more
Order a beautifully illustrated buckwheat recipe cookbook, just $3.00 USD.
The Birkett Mills
163 Main Street
P.O.Box 440
Penn Yan N.Y. 14527 USA
http://www.bobsredmill.com
Bob's Red Mill Organic Buckwheat Flour, and Bob's Red Mill Creamy Organic Buckwheat Cereal
http://www.edenfoods.com
Eden Organic Buckwheat Hulled Whole Grain
** nutrient information on package
*** Web MD online, information about Rutin
World's Healthiest Foods online, read about benefits of buckwheat and other favorite foods, lists of nutrients contained in foods plus recipes.
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor
Photos
Chessie Studies Flowers by Paul
Cocoa Buckwheat Muffin by Dahlis
