For a lot of people, well, in this part of the world at least, the definition of a good, super filling and satisfying breakfast consists in a couple of pan fried eggs accompanied with bacon, sausage, ham, baked beans, hash brown potatoes, toasts and fruit jam.
Oh, and let’s not forget the coffee and orange juice!
I used to be part of that clan.
I remember going to the restaurant and ordering exactly that. I’d always order my bacon extra crispy. And I especially loved to have this kind of breakfast when I’d had way too much to drink the night before…
Wow, have I come a long way!
My definition of a decadent, good, filling and satisfying breakfast now is this, right here. A bowl of warm, comforting, sweet chocolatey buckwheat pudding.
And I happen to find it especially good after a particularly intense workout… or a nice, long bike ride!
This will have me dreaming for days of the moment when I finally get to dip my spoon in, bring a bite back to my lips, close my eyes, chew sloooowly, let all the flavors and textures dance in my mouth for a while, enjoying every second of it, then swallow and repeat the whole process all over again… and several times, at that!!!
Oh, bliss!
How I love creamy, dreamy warm cereal.
Even in the summer time. Even when it’s a gazillion degrees out.
Sometimes, I cheat a little bit, however. As was the case with this breakfast pudding. How did I cheat, you ask?
Simple! I cooked my buckwheat ahead of time!
Instead of cooking this over low heat and stirring for about 20-30 minutes like I normally do when making any kind of warm breakfast cereal, I cooked the buckwheat in advance, which takes close to no time at all, and doesn’t generate that much heat.
Cooking buckwheat is very similar to cooking rice: using a 2 to 1 water to buckwheat groats ratio, all you need to do is bring the [slightly salted] water to a boil, add buckwheat groats, lower heat, cover and cook until all water is absorbed. This normally takes about 8-10 minutes. You then want to kill the heat and allow to rest for about 5 minutes.
You can then remove the lid, fluff your buckwheat with a fork and try not to eat it all use immediately or keep it in the fridge to use later in recipes such as this one right here.
As an added bonus, cooking the buckwheat in advance allows you to enjoy your breakfast MUCH faster! And if you’re like me, you’re REALLY hungry after a good workout and don’t have much patience to wait for your food to be ready. The faster, the better!
Now, if I still haven’t convinced you to try buckwheat despite the numerous times I’ve talked about it, I hope that this one seals the deal! Buckwheat is my favorite non grain now. It’s like so super yummy! Much more flavorful than rice, it has a really cool chewy yet creamy texture. It’s just perfect for making creamy “puddings” such as this one.
Of course, if you’ve already tried it, then you know exactly what I’m talking about and chances are you already have the water boiling so you can make this for breakfast tomorrow.
Now, I chose to make this with carob, but if you don’t care for it, you can very well use cacao instead. I happen to really like the rich, intense sweet flavor of carob and I think it works absolutely wonderfully with this dish. Bananas and carob are definitely a match made in heaven, if you ask me.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to get some water going…
I know what I’m having after my bike ride this coming Saturday!
Until then, I’ll be dreaming about it!
INGREDIENTS
- ½ ripe banana
- ½ cup milk of choice (I used home made almond milk)
- 2 tbsp carob powder
- 1 cup cooked buckwheat
- ½ banana, cut into small chunks (save a few slices to garnish)
- 1 tbsp cacao nibs
- ½ scoop vanilla flavored whey protein powder
- 1 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt
- ½ tsp cacao nibs
- Fresh mint leaves
- Banana slices
- Additional milk, if desired
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add banana, milk and carob powder to your small blender or food processor and process until smooth.
- Transfer to a small saucepan and heat over medium low heat until it simmers.
- Add cooked buckwheat, lower the heat and continue cooking, stirring often, until the mixture becomes thick and creamy.
- While buckwheat is cookingk, add protein powder and yogurt to a small mixing bowl and mix until smooth and creamy (just mix to combine, let rest for a minute or two and stir again until smooth)
- When buckwheat has reached the right consistency, remove from heat, stir in banana chunks and cacao nibs.
- Transfer to serving bowl, top with yogurt mixture and sprinkle cacao nibs. Garnish with mint leaf and banana slices, if desired.
- Add a little bit of cold milk to warm cereal for a delicious temperature contrast, if desired.
Notes
Grain Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, High Protein
Oh, Sonia… one more buckwheat recipe
. I still have not had a chance to try your buckwheat granola. But I think this one goes straight to the top of the list. And if I like it (or “when I like it”), I’ll make it for my dad too 
. I just need to get bananas. Brilliant recipe, and have a great bike ride on Saturday!
Hehe, thanks! I’ll spend the entire ride thinking of this breakfast I’ll get to have when I return. I’m already drooling…
And thank goodness you said you needed to get bananas… it made me realize that I’m all out of fresh ones. Need to go get some, too! Mind you, I guess frozen *could* work too… I might give it a try, why not? And I really hope you like this as much as I do when you do try it. It just sends me straight to heaven. Ultimate.Comfort.Food!
This looks incredible! I’m loving my buckwheat of late…I have to try it with chocolate and banana…divine!
There is no doubt in my mind that you will absolutely love this, Michelle. I think you and I share the exact same tastes in breakfast.
This looks great! You’re a grain-free inspiration
Who, ME? Wow! Now coming from you, that’s a real compliment! Thanks a bunch, Lauren!
Hmmmm… never had buckwheat… must give it a try
Thanks for the inspiration, Sonia!
Cath
Oh, Cathy, you must indeed! And then you must tell me
howthat you liked it! Make sure you get the raw groats, though. NOT the toasted, kasha variety. Kasha is great when mixed in with raw, but I find it has way too strong a taste to be enjoyed on its own, especially if you’ve never had buckwheat before…I’m with you, it doesn’t matter how hot it is outside, I’ll always go for the warm breakfasts over the cold. Love that you’ve mixed protein powder with your yogurt, smart move!
Oh, I’ve discovered that very early on when I started consuming protein powder on a regular basis. Combined with yogurt, it makes the most decadent instant “pudding”. I use that on so many things now, even on warm cereal! I owe a big part of my love for cereal to you, you know that? You’re the one who introduced me to amaranth a couple of years ago and I was instantly hooked! Had to start experimenting. So thank you VERY much for that!
I love all the flavors you fuse together for this one. It is a mouthful just to say the name.
You got that one right!
Glad you like the flavor combo. Do you dig carob?
By the way, I tried this a while ago. First I was missing bananas, then I was out of milk. But eventually I accumulated all the ingredients…. And it turned out really good: like a buckwheat pudding. But then I didn’t have time to leave a comment and thank you for the recipe. And now I do, so Thank You
Oh yay! Thanks for letting me know! I always appreciate getting feedback on my recipes. So glad you liked it!!!
Zut!…I only have Kasha at the moment!…Could I somehow use it in either this or another of your amazing creations?…I simply am an unabashed, certified Buckwheat/Sarrasin FREAK….Thanks for all your generous sharing of your bottomless culinary wisdom and creativity.
I like to use Kasha mixed in with the raw groats. I find its taste to be a tad too strong to be used “solo” So what I usually do is use 1 tbsp of kasha for say 3-4 tbsp or raw buckwheat groats. But that would be MY taste, you know. If you happen to like the taste of kasha, nothing is stopping you from making this using kasha alone. And I totally understand your being a sarrasin freak. I myself couldn’t live without the stuff!
Have you tried soaking the buckwheat instead of cooking it…?
The thing with buckwheat, Jenny, is that it becomes sort of slimy when you soak it… not all that appealing, if you ask me! I did add some buckwheat groats to a few of my overnight oats recipes, which turned out great, but I wouldn’t recommend doing a buckwheat only version. Cooked is definitely the way to go!