So, I decided to take my raw food recipes to the next level and made raw cashew buckwheat porridge a few days ago. It’s the last few weeks of winter and temperatures in Istanbul are still somewhat cold. Let’s just agree that experimenting with raw foods makes more sense in summer, at least to most people, including myself. But you know I like my salad bowls and breakfast smoothies and those are mostly raw, too.
In the end it’s just a matter of perception and how you wrap your head around it. So many dishes are raw, vegan, gluten-free and many people don’t even notice. Like when I tell people in Turkey that I’m on a mostly plant-based diet they immediately assume I’m close to starving. While the Turkish cuisine is characterised by kebabs and meat skewers its meze dishes and salads are mainly vegetarian and even vegan. But if you put a label on it like ‘hey, your hummus and vine leaves stuffed with rice are vegan’, people are shocked and get scared.
But really, don’t be scared of this delicious and creamy raw cashew buckwheat porridge. Yes, there is nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of rich porridge but in the spirit of health, well-being and new food adventures, I decided to give raw buckwheat porridge a try. In went only a handful of ingredients – buckwheat groats, my favorite nut, the cashew, to round out the creaminess, vanilla extract for an extra warm flavour and a few medjool dates to sweeten things up. Basically you have a mega nutrient breakfast with a killer texture ready in just a few minutes. Served with fresh and seasonal fruits and your morning porridge routine has just become a little bit more interesting.
Happy week, sunshine and lots of comforting love, Kati
Raw Cashew Buckwheat Porridge
- 1 cup cashews, soaked in water overnight
- 1 cup buckwheat groats, soaked in water overnight
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 2-3 medjool dates
- 1/4-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Fresh fruits
- Wash and slice fruits.
- Place soaked cashews, buckwheat, dates, vanilla extract and almond milk in a blender and blend till desired consistency. I like mine very smooth but you might like yours a little more crunchy.
- Spoon buckwheat porridge into a bowl.
- Serve with fruits. I like strawberries, raspberries and cherries with my raw cashew buckwheat porridge
- *Add some more liquid to make a sauce-like consistency and spoon it over fresh fruits to replace vanilla sauce or whipped cream with it.
