Have I told you just how much I’d been loving on buckwheat lately?

Right, of course I told you. 😉

I’d even told you how I’d have a second buckwheat salad recipe for you, right after I gave you this first one the other day…

I think I also told you that this new one here was even better than the last…

Well, if I hadn’t told you, I’m telling you now.

You see, this year for Easter, we were invited to my mom’s new boyfriend’s family reunion and we were asked to each contribute a dish. I soooooo love these kinds of family gathering. You get to taste a little bit of what everyone sort of is about. You get to learn about people, and you get to try a whole bunch of new things.

Such as buckwheat groats, for some…

For the occasion, being the “weird healthy kiddo” that I am, I’d been asked to bring 2 of my “unusual” salads. I chose to bring my “Grain Free Tabouleh” as well as another cold salad which would contain buckwheat groats as the main ingredient.

At the time I made that decision, I had no idea what would actually go in said salad. All I knew is I wanted people to discover this wonderful and unknown ingredient that is buckwheat in its groat form.

In fact, I didn’t even know what would go in that salad until I actually started making it.

It was a case of opening up the fridge and cupboards, grabbing this, grabbing that, and yelling over my shoulder to my daughter who was in her bedroom: “Say, what would you say to adding such and such to that salad? Yay or nay?”

To be honest, I hadn’t even initially planned on taking pictures of that one. Or on writing down the recipe, for that matter. I mean, I’d JUST been making a buckwheat groats salad. Surely, I didn’t need to log a second one now, did I?

But then I tasted it!

Oh . My . God. I immediately reached for my trusty pen and notebook and started recapping all of what had gone in the making of this magnificent creation!  I was not going to let that one be forgotten. It was way too delicious for that.

Granted, you all know how much of a fan of the savory sweet combo I can be. But this salad… You get tons of sweet dried fruits, crunchy nuts, creamy nutty buckwheat and tangy goat cheese with every single bite. I could’ve eaten it without end; I just didn’t want to stop.

I wasn’t quite sure whether it was dessert or side or even main dish. All I knew is it was sooooooo delicious and my taste buds were in heaven.  For a change.

You know what? I think that my taste buds are VERY happy to be attached to MY tongue. They get to visit heaven so very often.

And they’re pretty thankful for that!

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Dried Fruit and Goat Cheese Buckwheat Salad

Servings: 6 as a side

Ingredients

  • cup buckwheat groats
  • 3 cups water
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 celery rib, finely chopped
  • ½ chayotte, finely diced
  • 1 large endive, shredded
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
  • ½ cup hazelnuts, chopped
  • ½ cup dried apricots, chopped
  • ½ cup dried prunes, chopped
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 75 g unripened goat cheese, crumbled

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 and allow to cool for at least 60 minutes. You can also cook your buckwheat groats the previous day and let them cool overnight.
  • Add all ingredients, including cooled buckwheat to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine.
  • Serve immediately or refrigerate for a few hours (preferably overnight) to allow for flavors to develop.

Notes

Grain Free, Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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