Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day. Although it’s no longer on the pedestal of Most Important Meal of the Day, how you start your day inevitably has a major impact on how the rest of your waking (and sleeping) hours unfold. Consider the typical Ayurvedic routine, which recommends rising before the sun for oil pulling, abhyanga, a shower, light exercise, meditation, and pranayama–all before you eat anything at all. These rituals are essential to establishing a solid foundation for the day, just as the very notion of routine keeps your mind and body regular. For a long, long while (I’d say 6 months), the tail end of my morning routine (eating) involved a grounding and nourishing bowl of oatmeal. Whether it was prepared hot or overnight, my breakfast felt reliable and stable and delicious. Until one day, it didn’t. I just couldn’t stand to eat another bowl of oatmeal. I tried other things–baked sweet potatoes, chick peas, and even a carb-free breakfast of fruit and avocado–but none of these felt quite as satisfying. Plus, I was constantly scrambling to figure out what to eat in the morning, which was counter-intuitive to my goal of not having to be anxious before I started my anxious-enough day at work. Then I stumbled upon my new favorite breakfast that even sounds like my old friend: buckwheat groats. I’d read about this carb-that’s-really-a-seed on various health blogs and websites, and even seen drool-worthy Instagram posts of buckwheat-based smoothie bowls. When my best friend gave me the Oh She Glows cookbook for my birthday, and her Raw Buckwheat Groats were prominently featured in her breakfast section, I had to try them for myself.
This porridge is adapted from the cookbook’s recipe to suit my tastes and what I found to be a more ideal liquid-groat ratio. You can of course customize this to suit your own tastes with different spices, fruits, and add-ins. What I love about Buckwheat is their nutty flavor and chewy texture, which is retained even when soaked and blended in this way. They’re naturally gluten-free (since they’re seeds!) and have tons of protein: 6 grams per 1/4 cup serving.
Overnight Buckwheat Groat Porridge
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats
- Water
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 2 tbsp. flax meal
- 1 tbsp. maca powder
- 1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. cloves
- Toppings of your choice: fruit pumpkin seeds, extra spices
Instructions
- Soak the groats in a bowl of water overnight in the refrigerator. The groats should be covered at least 2 inches.
- In the morning, drain the groats and rinse well (at least 1 minute) in a strainer to remove the gelatinous coating.
- In a blending cup for food processor, add the milk, spices, maca, and groats. Blend until very smooth. I used an immersion blender, which was very fast and easy clean-up, but any smoothie-making device will work.
- Spoon half of the mixture into a bowl. Top with additional milk to create the desired consistency (this ratio makes a thick porridge), and any additional add-ins you desire.
