Majestic Buckwheat Salad

Buckwheat is actually not related to wheat at all. It’s related to the family of rhubarb. It is very commonly eaten in Russia and is super nutritious. Go ahead and try this salad raw. Sprout the Raw green buckwheat groats instead of cooking them.
Sprouting instructions:
-Soak green raw buckwheat in water for 5 hours. Drain, rinse and drain again. Place on a paper towel to dry and sprout overnight. Little tails will grow, these are the sprouts and what make it a super nutritious, delicious food.

Salad Ingredients:
-1 cup cooked toasted/untoasted buckwheat
-1 cup finely chopped herbs (green onion, basil, parsley, cilantro, dill)
-1 celery stalk finely diced
-1/3 cup cucumber cubed
-1 small red onion finely chopped
Optional: 1/3 cup red or yellow pepper diced small

Dressing Ingredients:
-1/4 cup tahini/sesame butter/sunflower seed butter
-1/2 tsp salt (black or himalayan preferably)
-1/4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
-2-3 Tbsp olive/pumpkin seed/flax seed/ or coconut oil
-1-3 garlic cloves minced (depending how garlicky you like it)
-1 tbsp freshly grated ginger or 1/2 tsp powder
-1/2 tsp cumin powder
Optional: 1/2-1 tsp zaatar (israeli spice mix), for spiciness add cayenne/chili powder to taste

Loving Preparation:
-To make buckwheat it’s a 1:2 ratio of buckwheat:water. Let water come to a boil, add the buckwheat, lower the heat and keep covered for 7min. Turn off heat and let it sit for 10min in the pot. Or you can add boiling water to buckwheat in a bowl, cover and leave for 1hr before it’s ready to be eaten.

Note: Never use aluminum cooking utensils or non-stick. Only use pyrex, stainless steel or cast iron.

-Toss Salad Ingredients together
-Shake or blend the Dressing Ingredients really well then mix well into the salad

-For crunchy salad serve immediately
-For softer, mushier variation let it sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours before serving or make it in the morning and serve in the evening.

Makes an excellent rice or pasta substitute, a perfect side dish to any meal, add to a wrap, on a bed of greens or to a bowl/cup of soup.

Substitute buckwheat with a cup of quinoa/black wild rice/millet/amaranth

Substitute the cucumber with raw cubes or grated zucchini.

If available, add wild leeks, dandelion and/or other bitter herbs from your local seasonal area.