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!

Buckwheat flatbread

Hello readers,

Well, to add to my list, I don't eat yeast or baking soda which makes making bread rather difficult.  I stumbled upon this recipe one day when I had make the dough for crackers but was too impatient to wait for the oven to heat up.  Again the ingredients are:

• 1 cup buckwheat (grind the groats in a coffee grinder if you can't find the flour)
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1-2 tbs. of water depending on the consistency.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and stir.  Add water as needed until the consistency is still doughy but sticky.  It will be a little doughier than regular wheat bread dough.  Heat a pan on the stove over low to medium heat.  The lower the better because the dough will cook all the way through.  Press or roll the dough to 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick.  Add a little olive oil to the pan to prevent sticking then place your dough in the pan.  Cook 5-10 min on each side keeping an eye on it so it doesn't burn.  Once cooked through remove from heat and let cool a little before eating.

The more oil you add the flakier the bread will be.  Also if you want to use it as a bun or something, you can roll the dough thicker just be sure to cook on a lower heat and it'll probably take longer.  Add seasoning such as garlic, pepper, basil etc. to the dough if you want to try something a little different.  I know it won't quite be the same as regular bread but it still tastes good and works as a great substitute for bread.

Enjoy!

Buckwheat pancakes

Hello all,

I wanted to share my favorite recipe, buckwheat pancakes.  I make these when I don't have any time for anything else, or when I'm really hungry and I'm waiting for my food to cook.  This recipe is similar to the crackers but the consistency here needs to be more runny.

• buckwheat flour (again if you can only get the groats use a coffee grinder to grind it into flour)
• salt
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• water

If you want sweet pancakes I add a spoonful of cream cheese and a glob of honey into the mixture. But if you are in the mood for a salty snack try adding some garlic, basil or pepper.

I preheat my pan (I use a cast iron pan so it takes a bit to heat but cooks better when fully heated) on a medium to low heat.  In a bowl I mix all the ingredients adding as much water as is needed to keep the consistency a little runny almost like cake batter.  Once the pan is heated add a tiny bit of olive oil to prevent sticking then pour the batter into the pan.  You may be tempted to use a higher heat, but the nature of buckwheat works better when cooked on a lower heat.  Flip the pancake over when it begins to bubble a little or if it doesn't when it begins to look a little darker around the edges.  Cook the other side for a few minutes until it sounds almost hollow when you tap the top of the pancake. 

I usually top my pancakes with honey when I eat them but if they are salty I'll add cheese or cream cheese.  They are also really good by themselves if that's all you've got. 

These pancakes may not look like Bisquick pancakes, but they will definitely satisfy your cravings and don't be afraid to experiment with ingredients, you might just surprise yourself!

Buckwheat crackers

Hello readers,

The most common thing that I make for meals is Buckwheat crackers.  They are super simple and delicious.  You will need the following ingredients:

• 1 c. buckwheat (if you can only purchase the groats use a coffee grinder to grind it into flour)
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1-2 tbs. of  water depending on consistency

Preheat the oven to 400F.  In a bowl mix the buckwheat flour, salt, olive oil and 1 tbs. of water and stir.  If the flour is too dry add a little bit of water stirring at the same time until the dough sticks together but is still moldable.  It may take several attempts to find the right consistency.  I don't ever measure anything I just keep mixing till it feels right.  On a backing sheet (I use a stone pizza pan)  put olive oil and spread it around.  Place the dough on the sheet and using some wax paper if you'd like roll out the dough so that it is 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick.  Slice the dough into squares or triangles then place in the oven.  I cook my crackers for 14-16 min depending on the consistency of the dough and how crunchy I want the crackers.  Once they are done, take them out and let them cool a while, then enjoy.

Sometimes I put garlic powder (making sure the only ingredient is garlic) and then I can top with cheese.  Also the amount of olive oil will determine how crispy they are.  The best thing about this recipe is you can always modify how much you make and what you put in it.  The only problem is  that these crackers are so addicting I can sometimes give myself a stomach ache eating too many so if you make some be sure to have a friend to help you eat them.

Enjoy!

Welcome!

Welcome reader,
A few years ago I used to be in excruciation pain.  The doctors would probably have diagnosed it as fibromayalga or Crone's disease, or they would simply have said they don't know what's wrong.  Well, I turned it over to God and prayed that He would help me and over the years little by little, He has revealed what was wrong.  Food!  I am allergic to a large range of food.  Below is a list of what I know so far.

• wheat
• eggs
• corn
• oats
• barley
• rice
• soy
• tomatoes
• potatoes
• peppers (not Peppercorn)
• blueberries
• apples
• artichokes
• peaches
• bananas
• peanuts
• cashews
• canola oil
• maltodextrin (which comes from potatoes)
• ham
• sesame seeds
• okra
• canteloupe
• and SUGAR (cane sugar)

As you can see this is a very long list and the sugar I only discovered recently because I stopped eating it for a while because it causes low back instability and I was traveling a lot so my back was hurting but I tried sugar again in my tea and the reaction was as bad as if I'd eaten wheat.

So what can I eat?  well that list isn't as long but on a daily basis I eat:

• buckwheat (my new staple food because it is not actually a grain)
• red meat
• chicken
• fish
• onions
• asparagus
• cauliflower
• HONEY!!!!
• olive oil
• garlic
• salt
• pepper

Finding already packaged food has become quite a challenge so I have resorted to baking most of my own food.  As a result, I'm creating this blog to share the random recipes that I find and come up with that might help someone in the same situation as me.  So welcome and enjoy!