What can be cooked from green buckwheat?
Many housewives have heard about green buckwheat more than once, but not everyone knows about the benefits of this cereal. After all, it is often consumed by those who prefer a healthy diet. This cereal contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals. In this article, we will consider not only the positive aspects of eating green buckwheat, but also how to properly prepare cereals so that all the nutritional qualities of the ingredient are preserved.
How useful is the product?
Buckwheat is called green because it is not heat-treated after harvest, but sold in its natural form. Brown buckwheat is a groat that is pre-fried. Roasting is necessary in order to get rid of harmful microorganisms and pesticides, as well as to increase the shelf life of cereals. If buckwheat was grown in environmentally friendly conditions, then eating cereals in its natural form will bring more benefits than fried.
Green cereals are in great demand among raw foodists and vegetarians due to the high content of vitamins. Green buckwheat contains:
- vitamins B, PP, E, P;
- folic acid;
- calcium, potassium, magnesium.
This cereal is rich in proteins, the product contains 15% of protein by weight. If you have given up eating meat and dairy products, then green cereals are an excellent substitute, which can fill the body's need for protein.
With the constant use of green buckwheat in the body:
- metabolic functions are normalized, immunity is increased;
- the amount of cholesterol in the blood is regulated;
- venous vessels are strengthened;
- the circulatory system, kidneys, as well as the gastrointestinal tract are cleansed;
- blood pressure normalizes;
- the condition of hair and nails improves;
- the risk of developing cancer is reduced.
With extreme caution, it is worth taking this product to people who have blood diseases, because buckwheat contains a large amount of rutin.
Features of use
Green buckwheat can be cooked in several ways. Cooking cereals is considered the traditional option, but at the same time, cooked cereals will bring less benefit than regular ones. Since the product belongs to the category of healthy food, it is necessary to prepare it in such a way that it retains as many nutrients as possible.
Let us consider in more detail the main methods of cooking green buckwheat.
Soak
This method of preparation is mainly used by raw foodists, because the cereal is not subjected to heat treatment. At the same time, the cereal is poured with clean cold or warm liquid in a ratio of 1 to 2, then left for several hours. You can soak overnight, and in the morning you only need to drain the liquid, and the cereal is ready for use.
Steaming
This cooking option is similar to the previous method, only in this case the cereal is poured with hot liquid and left for several hours. Most importantly, do not use boiling water, and you will also need heat-resistant dishes.
grinding
This method is often used to lose weight and remove toxins from the body. The cereal is pre-ground in a coffee grinder, after which it is consumed dry. Experts recommend drinking buckwheat powder with plenty of liquid.
Buckwheat flour is also suitable for making diet pancakes, pancakes, dumplings, cheesecakes, cookies.
Germination
Fans of green cereals recommend using products in a germinated state, because in this form it retains all the necessary vitamins for the body. For this:
- the groats are carefully sorted out, and the black grains are removed;
- sorted products must be thoroughly rinsed with clean water;
- floating grains must be removed, they will not germinate;
- products are poured with liquid so that the water is 2 cm above the cereal, left for several hours;
- repeated flushing is performed, and the liquid is drained;
- the grits are covered with gauze and left for 24 hours so that the grains sprout white sprouts.
Recipes
Consider the most interesting options for cooking dishes from green buckwheat.
Sprouted buckwheat pate
Products:
- 1 glass of germinated cereals;
- 1 tomato;
- 1 celery stalk;
- 4-6 lettuce leaves;
- 1 medium sized bell pepper;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- salt to taste.
Place all ingredients in a large blender bowl and blend until smooth. If the vegetables are not very juicy, add water. The resulting mass is transferred to a salad bowl and decorated. Salt can be added when whipping vegetables, or you can add salt to an already prepared dish.
Smoothies
Ingredients for 2 servings:
- 70 grams of green buckwheat;
- 1 pear;
- 1 kiwi;
- 1 banana;
- 1 tsp honey;
- mint, spinach.
Green buckwheat is washed with a clean liquid, laid out on a plate and left for 24 hours to germinate, only in this case it is necessary to rinse the ingredient every 4 hours. Fruits need to be washed, peeled and seeds. The greens are washed and dried.Sprouted cereals are placed in the blender bowl and crushed. After adding fruits and herbs, honey and 150 ml of pure liquid, all ingredients are whipped.
Salad of green buckwheat, beans, millet and tuna
Required products:
- 120 g of millet;
- 140 g of buckwheat;
- 140 g canned beans;
- 180 g tuna (canned in its own juice);
- 1 bunch of lettuce leaves;
- vegetable oil and salt to taste.
First you need to boil millet (20 minutes) and green buckwheat (15 minutes) in lightly salted water. Cooking should be carried out separately; it is forbidden to mix cereals. After all the ingredients are combined, and also seasoned with oil and salt. Lettuce leaves can be torn into small pieces and added to a salad, or they can be used as a garnish when serving. The salad is served cold.
Cottage cheese
Ingredients for 3 servings:
- 350 g of germinated green buckwheat;
- 250-300 ml of liquid;
- 2 bananas;
- 200-450 g of berries;
- 2 teaspoons of honey.
The germinated cereals are placed in a deep container and, with the constant addition of liquid, beat with a blender. You need to beat until the consistency of a homogeneous mass. Then add bananas and berries (any), honey, beat all the ingredients until smooth. Berries and honey can be added to your taste preferences, because the more fruits, the tastier and healthier it will be. If you do everything right, then the taste of the dish will be exquisite.
cutlets
Ingredients:
- 200 g of buckwheat;
- 1-2 carrots;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 1.5 teaspoons of sea salt;
- 1 zucchini (medium size);
- 100 g sunflower seeds;
- 50 g of flaxseeds.
The first step is to clean the vegetables. After the carrots are rubbed on a grater with small holes, and the zucchini is larger, the garlic is cut into small pieces.Buckwheat, carrots, zucchini, garlic are crushed in a blender (you can use a meat grinder for such purposes). Ground sunflower and flax seeds are added to the resulting slurry. Cutlets of the required size are formed from minced meat, after which they are rolled in breadcrumbs for breading and in whole sunflower seeds. Cutlets are laid out on a baking sheet and baked for 25-30 minutes in the oven at a temperature of 180 degrees.
To learn how to cook green buckwheat deliciously, see the following video.