Creamy Buckwheat, Fava Bean and Sun Dried Tomato Salad

You read that right: I’m serving fava beans… again!

I think I’m getting seriously hooked on these!

I guess they would be in season now, for they’ve been going for a mere handful of pennies a pound at my local Ethnic Food Market.

I’m not one to complain!

I sort of get the feeling that they are very short seasoned, though, and that next time I go, which should be a little later this week, they will already have vanished from the shelves.

Oh well. If that’s the case, I will have to plan a myriad of recipes using Fava Beans before they’re in season next year.

Cuz I really love the things. I just can’t get over their super creamy / buttery interior, all wrapped up in a super chewy / leathery skin. I don’t remember ever experiencing THAT MUCH of a natural contrasting texture in any other food.

Not to mention that they have a VERY mild, yet extremely interesting flavor.

In short, I’m completely sold!

And you know what? They happen to go extremely well with cooked buckwheat groats, another one of my favorites!

This salad right here was simply spectacular. I could have went at it for hours… Eating it pretty much qualified as an experience!

As a whole, it was super mild in flavor and creamy in texture, almost porridge like. I mean, all the ingredients that go into it are really delicate in flavor: fava beans, buckwheat groats, toasted almonds, celery, tahini…

Hmmmmm… tahini! That alone will make ANYTHING mild and creamy. Oh, I just looooove tahini! It just makes everything THAT much better! 😉

But what turns this salad into such an experience is that, despite getting an overall feeling of creaminess, you also constantly get hit will all sorts of crunchiness and chewiness, mainly from the celery and almonds, fava beans and sun dried tomatoes.

It was like this constant contrast in my mouth and I just wanted it to keep on coming.

In fact, this is one salad that’s so mild and creamy (yet crunchy and chewy, if that makes any sense) that I could very well have it for breakfast.

And for an almost exclusively “sweet breakfast” eater like me, that really says a lot.

Oh, and it was just as good served warm, the day I made it, as it was served cold, the day after.

I only have one regret now… I really wish I had made more!

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Creamy Buckwheat and Fava Bean Salad

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup buckwheat groats
• 2 cups water
• ½ tsp salt
• 650 g Fava beans, about 200g once shelled
• 2 celery rib, sliced thinly
• 50 g sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 60 g toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped

Vinaigrette

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp Tahini
• 2 tbsp White wine vinegar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp warm water
• The juice of one lime

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Add buckwheat groats, reduce heat, cover and cook until all water has absorbed, about 10 minutes.
• Remove lid, delicately separate the grains with a fork and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. You can also cook your buckwheat groats the previous day and let them cool overnight.
• While buckwheat if cooling, shell the fava beans and cook them in a steamer for 3-4 minutes, or until fava beans are tender but still somewhat firm. Remove from heat and set aside. You COULD peel them if you wanted to, but that is completely optional.
• Add all the ingredients of the vinaigrette to a small blender or food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
• Add all ingredients, including vinaigrette to a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
• You can serve this immediately or refrigerate overnight.

Notes

Grain Free, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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