Buckwheat

!Written by myRussianFoods.com on November 12, 2013. Posted in Side Dishes

Gluten-free buckwheat seeds is an amazing super healthy product. Not many garnishes can compare with buckwheat by its health benefits. Like quinoa, buckwheat belongs to the family of pseudocereals – because it looks like grain, but it is seeds. If you are aware of your diet and want a healthy side dish you should look carefully at white rice, couscous – not to mention fries – but buckwheat will give you a perfect side dish full of vitamins and nutrients.

There are some of the buckwheat superfood health benefits:

it’s gluten free
it helps maintain blood flow and thus is good for cardiovascular system
it is linked to lowering risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure
it has antioxidant properties
it is low in calories (1 cup of cooked groats contains 155 calories – fat not added in cooking)

This is a diagram of nutrients in Buckwheat as given on the site www.whfoods.com The world’s healthiest foods

Buckwheat

You can read more on the site The world’s healthiest food by following the link: Buckwheat.

HOW TO COOK

The healthy properties of Buckwheat are very well known in Russia and several meals feature this product.
Kasha is the most straightforward recipe and you can have it for breakfast, or use as a side dish.

You will need:

1/2 cups Buckwheat

1 cup water

Butter to taste

Salt

grechka

Method:

Rinse buckwheat thoroughly under running water and remove any debris or any black seeds

Add water and salt, and bring to boil leaving the lid slightly open

When the water starts boiling, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes

Switch off the heat, add and mix in some butter, cover with the lid and leave for 10 minutes

* In Russian this is called “grechka”, but in English it is also known as “kasha”.

* For bigger portions use the proportion: 1 part of buckwheat to 2 parts of water (i.e. for one cup of buckwheat use 2 cups of water etc.)

* Serving idea#1: With zucchini caviar, another healthy product, you double the taste and health benefits.

* Serving idea#2: You are a healthy eater who prefers having small regular snacks? Here’s a quick idea for you: Once kasha cools down you can mix it with cold milk to get a healthy buckwheat snack.