I've recently decided to give up cooking. It's only because I'm heavily influenced by what I read and I've been reading dietary advice about the advantages of eating a raw diet. Even though this thought has been bouncing around in my head for quite some time, it's only recently that I've been exploring cookbooks and websites that cater to such bizarre thinking. I've actually come up with quite a few quick and tasty dishes that have my heart singing and my body humming happily along.
One of my initial concerns with such an eating plan involved breakfast. I love cereal but do not want to consume any sugar laden concoctions even if there are wonderful prizes in the box like Dick Tracey decoder rings. Good grief! Have I given away my age!? Actually, forget my age, like I try to do - I don't want any sugar in my cereal yet I want it to be tasty.
And then there's the lactose intolerance. Yes, I love milk and cookies as much as the next person, but my body is intolerant. The milk thing, however, was the easiest problem to solve. Enter, almond milk.
Almond Milk
Soak 1/2 cup of raw almonds in water overnight. In the morning drain and rinse the almonds. Then place the almonds into a blender and add:
5 cups water
1 vanilla bean, the insides, which have been scraped out with a sharp knife, or a splash of vanilla extract
Dash of salt
Blend at high speed until the contents are liquid. Store in a jar in the fridge.
But now I wanted a cold, crunchy cereal on which to pour my delicious milk creation. Enter buckwheat groats! Most recipes for buckwheat groats have a person cooking the life out of the groats. Not my idea of a cool, crunchy breakfast. But I did find a couple of ideas for an uncooked version.
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| Toasted Groats on the Right - Fruit and Nuts to the Left |
The first step to prepare the buckwheat groats is to soak them in water for about 6 hours at a ratio of about 4 to 1. That's four cups of water to 1 cup of groats. Although this next step is optional, I like to drain and rinse the groats about every two hours. They tend to get slimy but this too shall pass.
After the groats have soaked, swelled, and are well drained and rinsed, place them into a dehydrator for another six hours. Make sure to spread them into a single layer. I found that I could put them right onto the mesh screen in my Excalibur dehydrator without the teflex sheet. If you don't have a dehydrator you could try drying your groats in an oven at a low heat. The resulting dehydrated groats are crispy and crunchy like a boxed cereal but for about half the price.
For a breakfast treat I whipped up a container of sunflower seeds, chopped Brazil nuts, cranberries (sweetened without sugar), chopped dried apricots, and a bit of coconut. First I soaked the nuts in this concoction overnight to make them more tender and digestible. I added this fruit and nut mixture to my toasted groats, poured on the almond milk, and made smacking noises as I enjoyed this delicious breakfast.
About Buckwheat Groats
Buckwheat groats are gluten free and rich in magnesium, manganese, and dietary fiber. Magnesium is a mineral that helps maintain normal nerve and muscle function, supports a healthy immune system, and along with calcium and phosphorus maintains strong bones and teeth. Magnesium also aids in regulating blood sugar levels, blood pressure and aids in weight management. I think that's because it's fat free and also makes you feel full pretty darn quick, but that last part is not a medical statement.
From my initial encounter with toasted groats I know that they're going to become a regular part of my breakfast menu. They also makes a great snack. Life is good!
Loveya
The Mom
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