Dried Fruit and Goat Cheese Buckwheat Salad
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!
Dried Fruit and Goat Cheese Buckwheat Salad
Ingredients
- 1½ 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
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
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21 Comments on “Dried Fruit and Goat Cheese Buckwheat Salad”
Amazing! Thank you for another grain free recipe!
Pleasure is all mine, Sarah! 🙂
Your make over looks awesome! Super cute :).
Thank you so much for saying so, Alison. So happy you like it! 🙂
Sonia, this post and your blog is gorgeous. I’m a life long weight struggler just like you, so I really believe in the importance of creative and flavorful ways of being healthy (and, in the case of the starving artist, doing it frugally). So happy for your success – thanks for sharing your ideas! 😀
Wow, thank you so much Dave, that is very nice of you to say! Looks like we really have one thing in common, you and I. Food would be our entire life, yet, we have to keep our passion under control! Although I seriously think you should divorce butter… 😉 Glad you like my site, and hope that you find tons of inspiration to feed your mistress on here… If you ever try any of my recipes, make sure you let me know. Would really love to get your feedback!
This looks amazing!! I was just suggesting for one of my clients to begin eating more buckwheat as it is super high in sulphur- sulphur being a great nutrient for calming the nervous system and assisting with anxiety, ADD and ADHD. Plus this recipe looks like an awesome dish to make a large batch of and eat on for a few days 🙂 Love this! P.s AWESOME photos! Just pinned it!
Wow… thank you Lauren! What an great intervention on your part! I didn’t even know that about buckwheat. Funny thing is I sort of am in need of calming down my nervous system lately, so that must be why I’ve been craving buckwheat so much! Guess my body knows what it needs! 😉 And you got that one right. You can keep that salad in the fridge for quite a few days, and I certainly wouldn’t mind eating that 4-5 days in a row! 🙂
Thanks for pinning, and thanks for leaving such awesome feedback! 😀
Yet another marvel! Did you use toasted groats…”kasha” or regular buckwheat groats? Are they interchangeable? The savory/sweet combo with chèvre looks stunning and this salad is definitely calling to me to be made and soon!!
I used the regular buckwheat, Donna. I guess if you wanted to get some of the flavor of the Kasha in there, you could sub a few tablespoons, but I wouldn’t go much more than that as Kasha has a very strong flavor, which would be a tad overpowering, I think…
Let me know what you think if you try it! 🙂
Have you tried this but without cooling the Buckwheat? I’m trying to find new warm salads to try.
Helen, I haven’t tried it, but I’m positive that it would be super good, too! I’d say go right ahead and try it! 🙂
Like promised I tried another one of your recipes, and it happened to be this beauty. I am so thankful I found your blog as this has to be my new favorite salad. Being Russian and eating a lot of buckwheat (kasha) I’m very happy to find such a great take on such a staple ingredient in Russian cuisine. Will be trying the Buckwheat Garden Salad next 🙂
I would love to request some more recipes using buckwheat if you have the time and need.
After many other blogs and recipes failing me online i didnt think i would ever say this, but I am deffinatly a big and loyal fan now. Can’t wait to cook through the rest of your feasts.
P.S. I made mine with semi-warm buckwheat and it was just gorgeous. The warmth of it made all the aromas of the mint and dried fruits really come alive.
AWESOME!!! Thank you so much for this great feedback Helen. I knew it would work warm, I was sure of it.
Funny you should ask that… for as soon as I am done here, I am going to make a gorgeous buckwheat breakfast pudding… my tummy is growling and mouth watering just thinking about it. So be on the lookout for this recipe. Should be up within the next few weeks.
I happen to be a huge fan of buckwheat also, both in the savory and sweet form. Say, have you seen my recipe for buckwheat risotto? That was really a favorite of mine! Been having a major craving for it lately. I get the feeling I’ll be making it again soon!
I am really super glad to hear that my recipes are working for you and that you are enjoying them! Thanks a million for being a loyal fan! You absolutely rock! 😀
Mmmm yum buckwheat breakfast pudding sounds delicious, will definitely keep my eye out for that one 🙂
And thanks for pointing out the risotto, will definitely give it a try soon.
Hey Sonia! I made this the other day and just wanted to say how much I loved it! Have never had buckwheat before and having cooked it I CANNOT understand why it isn’t more popular! So healthy, yet so squidgy and filling and delicious. Madness. I made this salad but I left out the chayote (no idea what that is, we don’t get them in the UK!), swapped pistachios for hazelnuts as I didn’t have any, and left out the vanilla extract. I found that it went SO well with flaked smoked mackerel instead of the goat’s cheese. Sounds a bit weird maybe but the very savoury, salty, smoky mackerel was perfect with the salad, which is quite sweet. You should definitely try the combination sometime – I also reckon it’d go amazingly with smoked chicken! The goat’s cheese is delicious too though. Great recipe!
So glad you tried it, Elly! Very flattered! I really like your substitutions too, although I have to admit to finding the smoked fish a little strange, but would love to try it nonetheless. If I can ever get my hands on smoked mackerel (happen to LOVE that fish) I will definitely give it a go.
Thanks a bunch for taking the time to leave such awesome feedback, and glad to have made you a “believer”… buckwheat is just the best! 🙂
I just made this tonight,but without the celery, chayotte and endives,and it was delish. Very interesting textures,and flavors combined. I especially love how the nuttiness of the buckwheat and hazelnuts harmonize with the creamy saltniness of the goat cheese and the sweetness of the dried fruit. This is going to be a repeat salad,for sure!
Thank you Mona for leaving such great feedback! Real happy you liked it! 🙂
This is our favourite “go to” meal, we just love it!!!! A brilliant recipe! We substitute dried sour cherries for prunes, only revision we make, as we r not that pruney, lol