Saturday night, Eric and I were on our nightly walk and we passed by our neighbours sitting outside enjoying a pitcher of Sangria. They invited us over for a drink and we couldn’t think of a reason not to join in on the fun! Drinks led to more drinks, hours flew by, conversation flowed, and we found ourselves home long past midnight with a wonderful evening behind us.
Anxiety tends to make me over-analyze everything…what if this happens, what if I say this, what if…but I realized when I do things spontaneously, I don’t have time for all that crap to go through my mind. I barely had any anxiety which is unusual for me when getting to know new people. There was something magical about doing something on the spur of the moment. It happened so quickly my anxiety didn’t have a chance to say boo!
It was a powerful learning experience and I was quite proud of myself for living in the moment. Overtime, these small decisions can lead to a big change.
Weekend Revelation #1: Stop over-analyzing so much and JUST DO IT!
Weekend Revelation #2: Raw Buckwheat Porridge.
You knew food had to be involved, right? :)
On Saturday morning, I was cruising You Tube vegan recipe tutorials, like any cool gal would do when procrastinating a workout. My Degree from the You Tube School of Culinary Arts should be arriving anytime now.
I came across a video for Raw Buckwheat Porridge and I instantly knew it was an idea I could have fun with!
According to Renegade Health, Raw Buckwheat Porridge is simply soaked buckwheat groats processed with agave, cinnamon, and vanilla to make a raw porridge. There isn’t any cooking involved and it’s incredibly easy and nutritious!
I thought it would be fun to amp up this mixture and turn it into something that was similar to my beloved Vegan Overnight Oats. I added chia seeds to boost the nutrition + volume as well as almond milk for even more volume. In the original recipe, the serving sizes were very calorie dense and tiny so I knew I would have to increase the volume to satisfy myself physically and visually. I’d rather eat 1 cup than a 1/3 cup, any day.
After that, I loaded on the fruit with a sprinkle of chopped nuts to finish it off.
The result was one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a long time. It’s also gluten-free, vegan, and packed with nutrients like calcium, protein, fibre, magnesium, and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
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Raw Buckwheat Porridge
Inspired by Renegade Health.
Yield: Four 1-cup servings.
Porridge:
- 2 cups raw Buckwheat Groats, (note: this is not the same as Kasha) soaked in water for minimum of 1 hour or overnight
- 1.25 cups almond milk
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/4 cup liquid sweetener (use Agave if you want it raw. I used maple syrup), or to taste
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Optional Toppings:
- Chopped fruit or dried fruit (banana, Berries, kiwi, apple, peaches, nectarines, raisins, mango, etc)
- Chopped nuts and or seeds (I used almonds)
- Nut Butter or ABU
- Toasted coconut, chocolate chips, etc
Directions:
1. In a bowl, pour 2 cups of raw buckwheat groats and 4 cups of water. Soak for at least 1 hour or overnight. After soaking, rinse well in a strainer several times.
2. Place buckwheat groats in food processor or blender, along with the almond milk, chia seeds, and vanilla. Process until combined and slightly smooth. Now add in the sweetener and cinnamon to taste (I found 1/4 cup of sweetener was enough, but others might like a bit more or less than that).
3. Scoop into bowls or parfait glasses and add your desired toppings & mix-ins. Serve immediately cold. Place leftovers into fridge and enjoy for the next few days. Makes 4 cups at about 385 calories per cup (using 1/4 c maple syrup, but without toppings).
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Here’s how I made it:
Soak raw buckwheat groats in water for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Strain and rinse the groats well with water. The groats will have a slimy texture, but that is perfectly normal!
Set aside 1 cup of groats (to stir in later). This will give your creamy porridge a nice chewy texture.
In a food processor or blender, add your soaked buckwheat groats (except for the reserved cup), almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon, chia seeds, sweetener, and a pinch of salt. Process until almost smooth or leave it chunky, whatever you like.
Stir in the reserved 1 cup of groats for a nice texture..
Stir in optional chopped banana or simply adjust sweetness to taste.
You can stop here (it tastes amazing already!) or keep going like I did.
Add your desired toppings: Fruit, nuts, seeds, granola, nut butter, coconut, dried fruit, etc. The sky is the limit.
Refrigerate leftovers and enjoy for quick and portable breakfasts for the next few days!
I was really surprised by how much I loved this porridge. I’ve had some bad experiences with buckwheat, but its normally strong flavour wasn’t very pronounced in this and I found it just delicious.
It’s also really filling and no cooking is involved making it a perfect breakfast for hot summer mornings. I’m excited to play around with this first attempt using different amounts of buckwheat, chia seed, and almond milk ratios.
I’ve already made a second batch in all the excitement…
Peanut Butter and Cocoa powder were involved and things got a bit crazy.
To be continued. :)
Given Weekend Revelation #1, I’m going to stop thinking about my workout and just do it!
Hi Becca,
I love your website! live in Ottawa. Might you know where I could get Buckwheat Groats? I am just starting to explore eating for my health. Do you buy these sort of products online? Thanks!
yup I linked to the online store in my ingredients list :) enjoy!
Hi Georgina!
Check out Herb and Spice shop on Bank Street: http://www.ottawaplus.ca/ottawa/venues/herb-spice-shop .
Wonderful with all kinds of natural living products/food/etc. :)
Living in the moment is such a beautiful mindset. I found myself reverting back to my over-analyzing ways this weekend. It’s so refreshing to take a break from that and just go with the flow.
And yum to the buckwheat porridge!
You are SO creative- i am most definitely trying this asap! I love buckwheat and use it often, so i’m sure I’d love this blended porridge! Mmmm, PB and chocolate- sounds delectable! :)
I am Slovak and we eat a lot of buckwheat porridge. I have never EVER thought to try it raw. Must get on that. BTW, that blizzard? changed my life. omg.
I just read a very informative book called The Art of Raw Food and I remember it containing a recipe similar to this one. It looks so good and the health benefits of eating raw are amazing. It would be hard to go 100% raw (love my baked goods!) but it would be interesting to try for a bit and see how it really affects my body/mood,energy.
Also, I love what you said about small decisions leading to a big change. My life has been so all over the place for a while now and it has led me to anxiety, which has affected my weight. It’s crazy how everything affects each other. I’ve found a wonderful holistic nutritionist that is helping me tremendously now. I know I need to make changes for myself and often catch the phrase “just do it” going through my head. Although now my mantra is “don’t think, just eat” :)
One last thought, I read this quote this morning and thought it might be pretty relevant.
“If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.” -Mary Engelbreit
Thanks for the great post!
Doing things spur of the moment is exactly what makes my anxiety run into high gear. Then again, just reading about spur of the moment social engagements set me off. I am just always so uncomfortable chatting with people, unless I know them really, really, really well. It’s definitely a process to deal with it all for me.
Oh I love the photos will all the fresh fruit n the background! So pretty.
This is an excellent idea. I recently stocked up on a lot of buckwheat groats to try my hand at making buckwheat bakes but I never had the time. This seems so simple and easy to make; best of all, most of the prepwork is done the night before! :)
This looks AMAZING!
Whenever I hear myself playing the what-ifs in my head I use it as a signal to stop and come back to the present moment. Have a lovely day!
That looks absolutely amazing! I have some buckwheat sitting there so I will try this recipe (although it is not the groats).
With the anxiety, I know exactly what you are talking about.
Angela the porridge looks great and I am loving the photos.
I love the slightly messy fruit pics, just kind of “dribbled” on the mats. It looks great.
And of course the composed shots are just beautiful! Just commenting from the airport here, wrapping up my weekend photography tour of Mexico City. It’s been a whirlwind and amazing. I am ready to be home though :) So intense!
I’m officially going to give this a try. I have struggled with buckwheat before, relly wanting to like it, but making ‘ordinary’ porridge with it in the same way as you make oatmeal, and then being disappointed with the strong flavour. This could change things!
I am so proud and happy for you…in the moment and sangria too, well done! It takes courage to be spontaneous.
Now these pis and this recipe, what a tease. I am new to buckwheat, this is great to have. :)
SO pretty! WF didn’t have any raw buckwheat groats in the bulk section last time I was there… Hopefully Earthfare wil have some in tomorrow so we can make this ASAP!
Hey Angela! I’ve been a long time reader, but I typically don’t comment. However, I related with you 100% about the anxiety topic and doing things spontaneously. I have started to notice my personal anxiety battle (more or less I’m coming out of denial), and have always found that if I do things on a whim I am more likely to complete the task, as oppose to when I plan out every detail. Sometimes I even try not to talk about my daily goals with people, because I start to notice the pressure building and I end up not accomplishing anything! Nonetheless, you are an inspiration to me and it’s nice to know that there are others out there that go through similar obstacles. Looking forward to all your future posts!!
I’m glad you can relate, thanks for your support!
I am the same way with the over-analyzing. I am trying to just live in the present and stop worrying about things so much also!
The buckwheat porridge looks very intriguing. I have never tried buckwheat!
Looks so delicious, and gorgeous photos, as usual!
The only time I’ve tried buckwheat was when I lived in Russia- they often have it as a side where we might put rice. They also eat it in the morning like oatmeal, except it’s not sweetened with anything… I wasn’t a fan of that preparation, but this looks like it would put Russian “grechnevaya kasha” to shame :)
Mmmm I had this when I was doing the raw foods course! It was great!
Question on the ABU- do you always use “cold” almond butter as opposed to hot, freshly made almond butter? When I’ve tried to do it right after making the almond butter, it gets a horrible texture and is ruined. Just wanted to see what the actual protocol should be! :) the first time I made it I used old, cold almond butter and it worked great so I’m wondering if that’s my issue!