Buckwheaties

Recently, It came to my attention that I had been eating the same breakfast for an entire month straight.  I become obsessed with a particular food and eat it until the thought of it sickens me. Yeah, I'm weird like that.
So, I'm trying this new thing out called variety. I actually have no problem eating different foods for lunch and dinner (although, lets be real my mid-day "meal" is almost always yogurt, nuts and fruit), but for some reason breakfast always remains a constant.  So I've decided to switch it up a bit. Some of my new morning options include: Smashed avocado on toast with flakey salt, a poached egg on toasted sourdough with sautéed kale, and these here buckwheaties (think grapenuts), either served with almond milk or mixed into plain yogurt.

Roasted buckwheat groats (aka kasha) is commonly eaten in Eastern European countries as a porridge, either mixed with pasta or used it as a filling for knishes or to make blini (buckwheat crepes). Buckwheat flour is most commonly used in pancakes or used to make noodles, known as soba.  One of my favorite ways to enjoy buckwheat by making buckwheaties, soaked, sprouted and dehydrated raw buckwheat groats. 

Buckwheat is a gluten free grain (actually... technically a seed) that contains the eight essential amino acids, as well as high amounts of manganese, magnesium and fiber. It can be eaten to combat high blood pressure and cholesterol, and helps to stabilize blood sugar.

I've dehydrated these on their own and they tasted a little like sawdust, so this time around I tossed my soaked groats with some maple syrup, cinnamon, and two of my favorite superfood powders, maca and mesquite.  Maca is a root in the radish family grown in the mountains in Peru. It is sold in powdered form and is known for balancing hormones and increasing stamina (as well as sexual function.. wink, wink). It is rich in vitamin B12, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium and amino acids. Mesquite is a powder with a molasses-like flavor with a hint of caramel(we're not talking BBQ here!). It's high in protein, soluble fiber, calcium, iron, zinc and potassium and it is an excellent (partial) flour replacement in baked goods.

Buckwheaties
Barely adapted From Health Yeah!

1 c. raw buckwheat groats
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 T. mesquite powder
2 t. maca
2 t. cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

Soak 1 cup of buckwheat for 8-12 hours (or overnight). In the morning, drain in a fine mesh strainer and rinse really well because buckwheat releases alot of thick goopy slime that you will want to wash off. It's kind of gross.. in a fun way.
Place in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl for 10-15 minutes to fully drain. Place the buckwheat in a bowl and stir in the maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, mesquite and maca powder and mix well to combine.
Lay flat on dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 115 for 8-10 hours or until crispy.
Store in an airtight container.

Sprinkle over yogurt, toss into homemade granola (after baking) or eat as a breakfast cereal with your favorite milk. 
If you don't have a dehydrator, set your oven to the lowest temperature and leave the door open a jar. They should take about 8 hours to dehydrate.