Open post
buckwheat pancakes recipe

BUCKWHEAT – Delicious Buckwheat Pancakes Recipe


Recipe and blog post courtesy of Sandra Clark, member at Alfalfa House

Closely related to Rhubarb, buckwheat groats or seeds can be used in a variety of ways. Groats are not really a grain though they resemble one. However these seeds or groats are used to substitute grains in a gluten-free diet. By grinding the groats you can make your own buckwheat flour, the base for Sarasen crepes made in Brittany in France and soba noodles, popular in Japan. Here our volunteers have submitted a quick and easy buckwheat pancakes recipe that can be enjoyed for breakfast or brunch.

Native to south east Asia, the first recorded use dates back to China in the 5th Century. The name buckwheat however is derived from the Dutch word “beechwheat” as the triangular shaped seeds resemble beech nuts. It was first introduced into Europe in the middle ages where it became popular as a minor crop. It was also grown in North America, Africa and Brazil.

The Buckwheat plant is very hardy and grows in cold climates with poor soil. Use buckwheat as a whole grain or as a flour. Using it to make bread is not a great idea owing to its no gluten content. The most famous buckwheat of all buckwheat dishes is the Kasha, a specialty of Russia.

How do you use buckwheat (besides pancakes recipe) ?

Porridge:
Soak whole buckwheat grouts overnight then strain. Cover with water and cook for around 30 minutes and serve hot with poached fruits.

Bircher buckwheat:
Use cold porridge mix above and stir through natural yoghurt, honey, banana and dates.

Pancakes:
Use buckwheat flour in the below buckwheat pancakes recipe for breakfast or blinis. Top these with your favourite pancake toppings. Some ideas in the notes below.

More Buckwheat Recipes To Enjoy

Looking for some more inspiration ? Try out these nourishing and delicious recipes that use buckwheat

Buckwheat pancakes with pineapple, banana and toasted coconut flakes

Quick and easy breakfast pancakes recipe made using wholegrain buckwheat and spelt flour. Shop for all these ingredients at your Newtown Food Co-op Alfalfa House

  • 2 mixing bowls
  • coffee/spice grinder
  • sieve
  • whisk
  • non-stick fry pan
  • 3 medium  Free range eggs (separated)
  • 65 g Ground buckwheat groats
  • 60 g Plain organic soft flour
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 140 ml milk
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1/4 medium pineapple (peeled, core removed and finely sliced)
  • 1 medium banana
  • 50 g coconut flakes
  • 1 tbsp Maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp natural yogurt (optional)
  1. Pre heat oven to 150 degrees C.

For Dry Ingredients

  1. Make buckwheat flour by placing groats in a coffee grinder and grind until fine

  2. Measure flour then add to plain flour. Sieve into a bowl.

  3. Add baking powder and salt to the flours

  4. Toast coconut flakes (dry) in the oven on a baking tray for around 10 minutes until golden

For Wet Ingredients

  1. Separate eggs, place yolks in a bowl and beat lightly with a whisk or fork then add milk

  2. Make a well in the centre of the DRY ingredients and slowly add WET ingredients. Also add in the honey at this stage.

  3. Whisk egg whites until they form firm peaks, ( will hold firm on the whisk) then gently fold through batter

  4. Heat a non-stick frypan to medium heat, spoon in batter leaving space around each. Cook 2-3 minutes per side. Keep warm on a plate in the oven while making next batch.

  5. Serve with sliced pineapple, sliced banana, toasted coconut flakes and a drizzle of maple syrup and maybe a spoon of homemade natural yoghurt.

  1. For coeliacs and gluten free diets simply use 125g buckwheat flour and no plain four.
  2. Other topping ideas: Blueberry, banana and agave syrup.  Caramelised apple or pear and chopped roasted hazelnuts
Breakfast
American
buckwheat pancakes, recipes

Open post
Bliss-balls

Harmonise-me bliss balls

In addition to being an Alfalfa House volunteer, Clara Bitcon is a women’s health naturopath and natural fertility educator. Her natural medicine practice, Medi.atrix Women’s Wellness, provides insightful and empowering guidance for women who want to take back their health naturally (www.mediatrixwellness.com.au).

In this blog, Clara teaches us about the ingredients in bliss balls, and introduces us to her easy recipe.

 

Bliss balls are no new kid on the block, but I’d love to share with you my version. They’re a cinch to whip up, and you can make them in sizeable batches as they’ll keep for quite some time in the fridge (up to 6 weeks). They’re perfect for a quick snack, or if you feel like a treat but would rather not reach for the dessert or chocolate, these guys can very nicely satisfy the urge. Highly
recommended with a brew of green or tulsi tea.

Based on a simple recipe, these bliss balls are meant to be played around with it as much or as little as you like. I like to rotate the nut butter, powdered herbs and spices to make something unique each time. Some people like to add stimulating herbs like guarana, matcha or kola nut. I prefer to use nourishing and balancing herbs. This particular combination of cacao and maca are excellent nourishers of the hormone and stress systems. They are two plants that have a lot going on for them.

Cacao: Elevating & Calming
As the Aztecs say, cacao is a food of the gods (and I’d say the modern world would happily agree).Unlike the cocoa commonly used in chocolate, raw cacao powder is unroasted and unprocessed. Cacao is abundant in the muscle relaxing and mind-calming mineral magnesium. It also contains a range of compounds that have a blissy action on the mind and elevate our mood. If you’re feeling a bit blue or anxious, have a project that requires a lot of mental focus or experience PMS, these bliss balls will make a fine
companion.

Maca: Energy & Balance
Maca is a herb that comes from the Andes Mountains of Peru. It is a member of the cabbage family. Many plants in this family contain a group of compounds that assist the body to process environmental toxins and excess hormones. It has traditionally been eaten as an energy enhancing food. One legend tells how Inca warriors were fed Maca to increase their strength before going into battle. After a city was conquered, Maca was prohibited to protect women from the heightened sexual desires induced by its consumption. The amount in this recipe won’t be having quite this level of intensity, but will give you a nice energy lift.

Bliss balls ingredients

Makes about 10-12 bliss balls

  • 1 cup nut butter (almond, tahini, cashew, brazil, sunflower or hemp are all good – if you can’t find the butter, process the nuts and add 1/4 cup of hemp seed or flax oil)
  • 1/2 cup honey (local, raw & organic). If you are vegan, you can replace honey with maple syrup. You may need to add more powders to get the right consistency.
  • 2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder
  • 2 tablespoons of maca powder (organic)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of powdered cinnamon and/or cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional)
  • A couple of twists of sea, Celtic or Himalayan salt

Method

  • In a mixing bowl, combine the nut butter and honey and stir until smooth.
  • Add all the powders, spices and salt and mix.
  • The consistency should be thick enough to make into balls but not dry enough to feel crumbly. Play around with adding more powders or nut butter to get the consistency you need.
  • Roll into balls and roll in extra cacao powder or hemp seeds to cover. I like to store in a Tupperware contain and cover with extra cacao powder (you can use hemp seeds for this too). Keep in the fridge.
  • You can even throw a couple of these into a smoothie for a blissy herbal lift!
Open post
Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut: nourishing your inner-health

In addition to being an Alfalfa House volunteer, Clara Bitcon is a women’s health naturopath and natural fertility educator. Her natural medicine practice, Medi.atrix Women’s Wellness, provides insightful and empowering guidance for women who want to take back their health naturally (www.mediatrixwellness.com.au).

In this blog, Clara tells us about the wonders of sauerkraut, and treats us to a simple and tasty recipe.

 

Sauerkraut is ultimate gut supporting food.  It’s a member of what I like to call ‘elemental basics’: ancestral foods that have been largely lost to modern living yet offer so much to our health. It’s brimming with beneficial bacterial and the cabbage itself is rich in a gut supporting protein called glutamine. You can add healing herbs and spices to support your body in whatever way it is needing. It is food that nourishes our internal soil; our microbiome.

The recipe below will create enough for about two large jars of sauerkraut. You can make it in larger batches too. Making your own is easy and makes eating it daily so much more affordable.

 

Jar of sauerkraut

Materials

  • 1 large bowl or food grade bucket
  • 1 plate that snuggly fits the bowl/bucket
  • knife
  • pounding device (meat hammer, rolling pin, pestle etc.)

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cabbage, red or green, shredded
  • good quality salt, such as Celtic or river salt

Optional extras

  • For calming the digestion: caraway seeds or fennel seeds and grated ginger, dill or fennel tops
  • For firing up the appetite: umeboshi plum paste
  • Anti-inflammatory ingredients: grated ginger and turmeric

Directions

Part 1: Prep the Cabbage

Boil some water and fill the bowl you are going to use to ferment the sauerkraut. After a few minutes, pour out water.

Place a couple of handfuls of shredded cabbage into the bowl. For every cup of cabbage, add two teaspoons of salt.

Pound well with a wooden pounder/meat hammer/rolling pin (anything that will serve the purpose of pounding!). You want to pound enough so that you bruise all their cell membranes and release their juices.

Add the next round of shredded cabbage and salt and repeat pounding. Continue these steps until you have used all your cabbage. African drumming music recommended for this part!

Part 2: Tuck it Away to Ferment

With a spatula, wipe down all the sides of the bowl. Find a plate that fits over the top of the sauerkraut – this is important because you want to create a completely oxygen free environment. If there are gaps around the side, the sauerkraut will rot rather than ferment.

Push the plate down with force, so that the fluid released from the cabbage rises above the plate. This will create a perfect seal.

If not enough juices are rising, either pound a bit more and try again. Or pour some boiled water over the plate to create the seal.

Place a heavy weight on top of the plate. As it ferments, more juices release, and you’ll notice the fluid level rise. This is very good. Wrap in a tea towel and set aside.

Part 3: Patience

Check on your kraut every few days. Don’t be alarmed if mould is forming in the liquid; because the vegetables are sealed off, it won’t affect them. Pour off the liquid, wipe down the sides and refill with freshly boiled water.

After 8 – 10 days your kraut should be ready. If you live in a cold climate, it may take longer. If you’re in the tropics, it may be shorter.

Holding plate down, pour off the liquid and have a taste, if it is not sour enough for you give it a couple more days.

Part 4: Bottle Up

When ready, spoon the sauerkraut into sterilised jars and cap. You can store these in the pantry for up to a year, but once you have opened them store in the fridge.

How to eat sauerkraut?

Traditionally sauerkraut was added as a side to most meals, especially if it contains meat. I like it on toasted sourdough, avocado and cracked pepper, in buddah bowls, on jacket baked potatoes or as a garnish to any Asian inspired dish. It’s versatile, so sneak it in in unexpected places.

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/clarabitconnaturopathy
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mediatrixwellness

Open post
Vegan mayonnaise

Vegan mayonnaise and me

Steve Sobolewski is a data analyst by day, and a writer and food fanatic by night. He’s also a regular contributor to our blog where he’s chronicling for us his journey into the world of sustainable food. In his second blog post, Steve talks about his food philosophy.

This week I’m going to be talking about an obsession of mine – food. Of course food is an obsession for a lot of us, just look at the variety of restaurants in Newtown and you will see we are a community that loves to eat. The exciting thing about Newtown is how many places cater to vegetarians, vegans, conscientious meat-eaters and everything in between.

My personal philosophy on food has changed quite significantly in the past 5 or 6 years. I grew up in a family that loves eating, whether it was my mother’s home cooked meals, a Friday night takeaway or going out to a restaurant. My sister and I were unusual children, quite happy to sit quietly and calmly in a restaurant, presumably because we wanted to keep being taken out!

But we never spoke about where our food came from and how it was produced. I saw my mother purchasing prepackaged items from the supermarket: meat came in little polystyrene trays covered in cling film, salad came in sealed bags, vegetables were pre-prepared and packaged, cereal boxes covered with the beaming faces of the Rice Bubbles’ elves and Tony the Tiger. All of it went in the trolley. This was normal. This was how we fed ourselves with meat and two vegetables on a daily basis. The supermarket was a filter, separating what I was eating from the reality of where it came from. I didn’t care because it didn’t register. Our primary concern in what we chose was taste and enjoyment.

As I got older things didn’t change much. I was a huge fan of the doner kebab (and as a student in London this was a standard dinner out after a few beers). I loved McDonalds and Hungry Jack’s, I’d pop into KFC whilst out and about to get a box of popcorn chicken without a second thought. Not once would it register about how this food was being produced and at what cost. Into adulthood my tastes changed but my attitudes didn’t. I was eating at better quality places but where my food came from was simply beyond my concern.

When I met my partner I was still eating like this. I wasn’t as unhealthy as I sound, I ate a lot of restaurant food and take-away but I also ate a lot of vegetables and home cooked meals. I was omnivorous but most of all thoughtless.

My partner explained to me that she had been thinking more and more about her environmental impact. She wanted become a more conscientious consumer and had decided to take her first step towards this. It was a simple thing; from that point on she was only going to eat free range chicken. She didn’t try to make me do the same thing, she simply explained her reasons (animal welfare and the effect of meat farming on the environment) and that slowly set off a chain reaction in my own thinking. How had the animal been killed, how had it lived? Had it suffered? My partner opened the door for me to begin seriously looking at where my food came from. In terms of energy consumption, water and land use, greenhouse gas emissions and wildlife, meat farming is proven to be much more damaging than the equivalent in non-meat agriculture.

My partner led the way and I followed. We followed eating free range chicken to only eating meat if we could guarantee it was responsibly and ethically produced. We cut down the amount of meat we ate by 95%. As a result over the last few years we have essentially become what I like to call “mostly vegetarian”. Our primary sources of protein are vegetable based, I learned to love tofu and, more recently, by discovering the range of things available at Alfalfa House we’ve replaced other items with vegan and vegetarian alternatives. Vegan mayonnaise, made from chickpeas, is better than I ever could have imagined.

As I’ve changed my approach to what I eat, I’ve realised that I don’t have to compromise on enjoyment – smoked tofu salad with roasted broccoli, beetroot, pepitas, and tahini and honey dressing is one of my all-time favourite dinners. (Shameless plug: season dependent, all of the ingredients are available at Alfalfa).

Everything we get from Alfalfa House is delicious. A weekly veg box encourages us to experiment and try new things with what’s in season. They have a huge selection for such a small shop and you can be sure that everything you buy has been produced with reducing waste, maximizing health and helping the community in mind.

I am still a meat-eater but it’s a rare occasion, and I only buy from places where I know that the animal has been treated with respect and with care. Perhaps that will change in the future; I know there is more that I can do. I worry about dairy and what milk cattle are put through to produce milk but I haven’t stopped eating cheese yet. Some might say that I’m not doing enough, and they would probably be right, but this is a journey that I’m still taking.  One thing I have learned is that places like Alfalfa House offer people food options they can enjoy knowing that they have taken a small step.

And if my own experience is anything to go by, a small step can be the first of many.

Posts navigation

1 2 3 4