Pecan Pie

I think I finally got the recipe right for a delicious pecan pie.

Crust Ingredients:

2 cups buckwheat flour

1 stick of butter cubed and chilled

1/4 cup of sunflower oil

6 tsp chilled water

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp salt

In a mixer add flour, salt and butter together and mix at a medium speed.  While mixing add the oil and honey.  1 teaspoon at a time add water.  When the dough comes all together that should be enough water.  Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.  On a (buckwheat) floured surface roll dough out to about 14 inches diameter then folding almost in half and place in pie dish.  Gently press into the edges of the dish.  Using your finger, thumb or a fork crimp the edges of the pie.  Set in refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Filling Ingredients:

Approx. 20 dates

1/4 cup honey

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

Dash of salt

1 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Approx. 1/2 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven  to 350 degrees Fahrenheit  Boil the dates until they are soft and mushy, about 30 minutes.  I like to chill the dates before mixing anything else. Once chilled to room temperature add honey, vanilla, spices and salt.  Mix well.  Add chopped pecans and stir.  Pour filling into pie crust then top with pecan halves.  Bake for 80-90 minutes.  To prevent the edges from overcooking, halfway through backing cover the edges with tin foil.  Let cool and serve!

Pineapple Chili

Ingredients:

Ground beef or turkey
Olive Oil
Garlic
Onion
Can of pineapple
Can of beans (I use black, pinto or kidney)
Cumin
Salt
Pepper
*Cilantro
*Apricots

I start by sauteing the onion and garlic in olive oil then browning the meat with some salt.  I add the pineapple, and then the beans and cumin.  If you have cilantro, I'd throw some of that in there and you may like to add some dried apricots too, I bet that would taste amazing. If there is not enough liquid I'll add up to a cup of water as well.  I bring it all to a boil then cover and simmer for about 30 min.  This is another dish that tastes better the longer it cooks.   While this is cooking, I make about 1 cup of buckwheat groats.  Serve the chili over buckwheat, or you could also make buckwheat crackers and dip them in the chili instead.  Store the left over and enjoy the next day too. It'll taste even better!

Pineapple (Hawaiian) Chicken

Ingredients:

Fresh Ginger minced or sliced very thin

Chicken (whatever sections you prefer)

1 Can of pineapple (I prefer Chunks)

Turmeric

Olive oil

Garlic

Salt

Pepper

This is best done in a slow-cooker, but since I don't own one, I use a large pot.  I start by boiling the chicken pieces in water with the fresh ginger, salt, pepper, and garlic.  After the outside of the chicken begins to turn white I add the whole can of pineapple, juice and all, a little bit of olive oil, and a dash or two of turmeric.  I usually let the whole thing cook for about 40 mins.  The longer the chicken cooks the better it will taste.  When the meat starts to fall off the bone is when I turn the heat off.  I prefer to take all the bones out, but it doesn't really matter.  While the chicken is cooking I prepare 1 cup of buckwheat groats.  When everything is done, I serve the chicken over buckwheat.  This is a great meal when it's cold outside.

You may also want to try baking this in the oven.  I haven't tried it but I bet it'd be delicious.

Strawberries and Cream!

Here is a very simple dessert that I absolutely love.

Ingredients:

Strawberries (I prefer fresh)
Heavy Cream
Honey.

I make my own whipped cream by adding some honey to some heavy cream (I learned that less is more for both ingredients) in a cup with a wide mouth.  It should be just wide enough for a whisk to fit inside without binding on the sides.  I roll the whisk back and forth between my hands for about 1 min until the cream is firm.  I find that when whipped, there is usually more cream than I anticipate.  I spoon the cream over sliced strawberries and enjoy.  Or if you prefer, you can dip the strawberries in the cream.  This is a great desert and super quick and easy.  And clean-up is a snap.  ENJOY!

Buckwheat Date Cake

I just found this recipe and tweeked it a bit and it turned out amazing so I thought I'd share.

The recipe calls for:

18 dates
3/4 cups milk
1/2 honey
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbl walnuts (optional)

First start by letting the dates soak in warm milk overnight, or you can do what I did and warmed the milk and dates on the stove until the dates became soft.  If there are pits remove them.  Then add the honey and stir the mixture until it's creamy.  There may be bits of date still whole, but as long as you get most of it mixed it will work.  In a seperate bowl sift the flour, baking soda and salt together (I say used a 1/2 tsp of salt because the original recipe didn't call for salt, but I prefer the taste with the salt, it's up to you.)  Next, slowly mix the flour into the date and milk mixture one spoonful at a time.  It should end up really sticky.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Pour the batter into a greased baking pan and cook for 35-40 min, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  I made mine into cupcakes which also turned out great.  For cupcakes, bake for about 20 min. When it's done, let it cool before eating.  It tastes amazing!!!

Good Ole Buckwheat (gretchka)

Hello again,

A friend of mine asked how to make regular buckwheat groats...easy.  The proportions are 1:3

• 1 cup Buckwheat groats
• 3 cups water
• pinch of salt

Start boiling the water on the stove.  Add the buckwheat groats after a while, you don't have to wait until the water is boiling.  Be sure to add some salt, even if you are putting something sweet on top, the salt brings out the flavor.  The water will start to foam after a while, at this point I like to turn off the heat, or turn it down really low, cover the pot and let it sit.  It typically takes 20-30 minutes to completely cook.  If you find that the buckwheat is still hard you can add some water.  If it is too watery, then let it sit with the lid off.
You can eat it by itself, or top it with something sweet like honey and milk, or put a kind of sauce on top.  It is a great substitute for rice at the dinner table.

Enjoy

Buckwheat pierogi

Hello all,

Here is another recipe I stumbled upon out of necessity.  I travel a lot and don't often get a chance to cook things where I am so while at home, I found some left over beef and onions from the night before and using this recipe made some delicious pierogi.  You will need:

• 1 cup buckwheat (use a coffee grinder to grind the groats if you don't have access to flour)
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1-2 tbs. water
• already cooked meat and/or vegetables

Mix all of the ingredients (like you do for the crackers) adding water while you stir until the consistency is like bread dough.  I find this recipe works better if the dough is firmer.  On wax paper roll out the dough into an oval making sure that the center is thicker than the edges.  Place a spoonful or so of the meat or vegetable in the center of the dough.  Holding the wax paper with the dough in your hands fold the ends of the dough around the meat.  Pinch the edges of the pierogi so that it seals around the meat.  I cook mine in a pan, but you probably could bake these and they'd turn out just fine.  In a pan add a drop of olive oil to prevent sticking then place the pierogi on one side over low heat.  After about 10 minutes gently flip the pierogi over to cook the other side.  If your pierogi is thick you can turn it on end to cook the middle.  Once it is done set on a plate to cool a little bit before eating.

I find that the dough gets kind of dry so you can butter or oil the outside as you cook it to prevent it from cracking too much.  I sometimes also add cream cheese or butter to the meat mixture to give it more moisture.  I have never fried mine, but you can also try that since traditionally pierogi are fried.  And don't forget you can also add spices to the dough to give it more flavor.

These make excellent lunches (almost like hot pockets) for when I travel that are quick and easy to make and eat.   Enjoy!