Raw Buckwheat Porridge

Okay, so the name doesn't necessarily sound appetizing, but don't knock it till you try it! This is, by a mile, my new favorite go-to breakfast food. There is zero prep time in the mornings once you've made a big batch of this. Just ladle into a bowl, throw some fruit or whatever else you want on top, and chow down. And unlike oatmeal, I could eat this plain with no toppings or extra sugar or anything and still be 100% satisfied.

Raw Buckwheat Porridge

Beautiful, isn't it? Sweet, almost snow-white, creamy in texture, and deliciously frosty, this could ac almost pass as a very filling dessert. So good! And, wonderfully enough, so simple. The best part of all is that it is super healthy and packed with fiber.

Step 1: Soak the groats. I start with 2 cups of groats and 4 cups of water, letting them sit overnight in the fridge. You should be able to find these at any health food store, and probably large grocers as well. Make sure they are whole raw groats, not anything that has been cut or processed! Here is what they look like:

Raw, unprocessed, whole buckwheat groats.

Let the groats soak overnight in plenty of water in the refrigerator.

Step 2: Rinse the groats. This is the hardest part. When you take them out of the fridge in the morning, you'll notice that everything got a little slimy. Don't be alarmed! Like a flax egg, the buckwheat groats caused the water to congeal a little. Drain them and rinse them with a fine colander or strainer. They don't have to be perfect, just make sure they are cleaned off for the most part (you don't want slimy porridge!).

Step 3: Process everything together. Place the rinsed groats in a large food processor (I had to do mine in two batches since the one I have is tiny). Add the following ingredients and blend until smooth:

• 1 and 1/4 cups milk (I used sweetened vanilla almond milk)
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

If you've never used chia seeds before, you can find them in natural foods stores and in the spice section of larger grocery stores. They are a little pricey, but a little baggy from the bulk spice counter will last a while and won't cost much at all.

Chia seeds.

Also, feel free to add an extra dash or two of milk as you are processing in order to achieve the desired texture. I (accidentally) made the first batch rather coarse and the second batch very smooth, and when I mixed them together the result was lovely. I like a little bit of bite with mine. Play around with it to figure out what you like best.

Step 4: Top and serve. I have found the my favorite topping is diced strawberries, but a mixture of raspberries and blackberries are lovely as well. I didn't think that bananas worked as well, but then again I am picky about my bananas. You could do any sort of dried fruit, nuts, seeds, etc. Be creative--there is pretty much no way to go wrong!





A big thank you to Angela at Oh She Glows for this recipe. That is currently my favorite website and every single recipe of hers that I've tried as been amazing. Check it out!

Banana Pancakes with Home-Made Blueberry Syrup

This recipe was inspired by post on the Hungry Hungry Hippie blog. Not having any coconut on hand, I decided to make my own version.

Banana Pancakes with Home-Made Blueberry Syrup

Don't let the home-made syrup daunt you--it is actually incredibly easy and fuss-free. All you want to do is throw a handful of blueberries in a small sauce pot (however many you want to eat), cover them only about half way with water, add two tablespoons over your favorite sweetener, and start them off at a simmer. You'll notice that as soon as they get hot the blueberries begin to burst and turn the liquid purple. Yum! Go ahead and add the juice and the finely-chopped zest of half a lemon. After about 7-10 minutes remove it from the heat. It will congeal a little bit more, so I actually ended up having to stir back in a tiny bit more water to get the right consistency. That's it! So much more healthy than the store bought kind as well. Also, you could strain this if you don't want chunks, but I didn't.

 

Blueberry pancake syrup reducing.

Next, mix up the pancake batter. I've stopped measuring entirely, but I'll try to estimate:

• 1 cup of almond milk
• 2/3 cup of whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp of cane sugar
• 1 tbsp of baking powder
• 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1 mashed ripe banana

Basically, put all of ingredients besides the milk in a measuring cup and that add the liquid and whisk until it looks right. There really isn't a way to ruin it. Them fry 'em up (no butter needed)!

These go incredibly fast, so keep an eye on them.

Then just stack, top with syrup, and enjoy! This recipe yielded six pancakes, which is enough for one ravenous person or two regular person (and I'm not going to tell you which I was this morning).

Why yes, that IS gooey banana oozing out of the center. De-freakin-licious.

Bananas in Berry Artesia

Oh my goodness, was this an awesome recipe. This was listed as dessert for day three, but it was my breakfast for day four. If you've got some fresh berries lying around, please try this quick and fuss-free recipe. While it was good on my sliced banana, I bet it would be heavenly on some pound cake. *drool*

Bananas in Berry Artesia

The first thing I did was to put half a cup each of the following into a small pot: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apple juice, grape juice. I also added one bay leaf, a vanilla bean (with the empty pod as well), and one tablespoon of maple syrup. If you don't have a vanilla bean--goodness knows they are insanely expensive (I've been saving this one for a special occasion)--it is perfectly find to use vanilla extract. Let all of this simmer for 5 minutes.

Let the berries, juice, and flavorings simmer for 5 minutes.

Next you want to get one tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl and ladle a few spoonfuls of the hot liquid in with it. Once you've got the cornstarch dissolved add it back to the pot, making sure to stir well while you are doing this. Simmer for about a minute longer.

Once the cornstarch is mixed in simmer for 1 minute longer.

Remove the sauce from the heat, discard the bay leaf as well as the vanilla bean if you are using it, and you are ready to serve over crepes, pastries, fruit, or whatever else you can find. It reminds me of berry cobbler filling. And so easy! The amounts in this recipe make one general serving.

Along with some blueberry oatmeal, this was my breakfast this morning.

Breakfast for Day Four