How to re-create this recipe:
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
- 1 Cup of water
- 1/2 a cup of Buckwheat/groats
- 5 Candy Cane Beets
- 3 Tbsp Cranberries
- 1/2 a cup of toasted Hazelnuts (toast for 8 minutes in a 300 degree oven)
- Some chopped parsley for garnish
For the dressing:
- 1/2 a cup of Vegetable Oil
- 2 Tbsp’s Lemon Juice
- 2 garlic cloves (finely minced)
- 1 Tbsp Stone Ground Mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tsp Poppy seeds
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Putting it together:
- Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small stockpot, add some salt, the Buckwheat and simmer for 20 minutes until all water is absorbed. Afterwards, cool to room temperature.
- Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees, clean your beets well, cut off the beet stems from both sides and then wrap each beet with a small amount of foil paper. Roast the beets for about 40 minutes until they are fully cooked through. The time may vary depending on how big your beets are. After they have cooled a bit, using a small hand towel, remove the skins off them and then cut them into thin slices .
- While the beets are roasting, you can make your salad dressing. In a small bowl add your mustard, honey, lemon juice , garlic cloves, and poppy seeds. Whisk in the vegetable oil well and add some salt and black pepper.
- When everything is done being cooked add all your Buckwheat to a medium bowl, half the sliced beets , half the Hazelnuts and half the cranberries. Add only half the salad dressing and toss all ingredients together very gently so your beets don’t tear. Add a little more lemon juice ,salt and black pepper to taste.
- Place on a nice platter, garnish with the rest of the beets, hazelnuts and cranberries and add your chopped Parsley for garnish. Enjoy!
Nourishment for your body: Buckwheat/ Groats are seeds that are high in protein and fiber. It is also Gluten free. It is known to improve heart health, may prevent diabetes, and is packed with vitamins and minerals. Beets are packed with nutrition! Beets are high in Iron and folate (helps to keep the cells in the body healthy). Beets contain betaines which helps protect the cells in the body from environmental stress and inflammation. It helps the body process toxins. Betaine also helps to improve stamina by increasing oxygen to the blood which can help with athletic performance.
Tips when cooking: I reserve the other half of this dressing in an air tight container for future use. This dressing is pretty versatile and you can enjoy it on many other salads. This salad was definitely an ode to my Ukrainian roots. Russian people call Buckwheat Kasha and a popular way to have it is as a breakfast food (think porridge). Some people will toast the Buckwheat in a skillet pan (to make them extra fluffy) and then cook it in milk. Buckwheat has strong, nutty notes and is definitely a comfort food to eat in the wintertime. It is very symbolic in Russian culture of reaching a milestone in one’s life, as it is typically the first solid food that is given to toddlers. Other popular ways of having it is tossing it with a beef stew or adding it to a combination of sauteed onions and bowtie pasta.