Buckwheat Bounty

*Warning*
The following post may alter the way you eat pancakes for the rest of your life!


I have a challenge for you today.  Go to your local farmer's market, food festival, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Fresh Market...even the organic/natural food sections of Kroger or Giant Eagle, and buy something you have never, ever cooked with.  It could be a Mediterranean pasta you've never heard of, or a vegetable you only see in magazines.  Take it home, do some research (learn something new!), find a recipe that sounds delicious and MAKE IT.  Expand your horizons!  Eating is like exercise...you have to mix it up in order to see positive results!

I know I have posted recipes for buckwheat pancakes in the past, but this recipe is a little different.  Mr. PT and I did some exploring at a local farm festival in the fall and came across a buckwheat grinder.  The millers were literally grinding the buckwheat in front of us and selling the flour in bags for $3.  I thought to myself, wow, I've used buckwheat pancake mix in the past, but this could be an interesting experiment!  Homemade, from scratch, no boxes...I was up to the challenge.

Sure enough, I found a simple recipe online, followed the instructions, and voila!  A Sunday breakfast like no other!  So if you need a simple but different ingredient to get you out of your cereal box, try this out.

You will need:
1 cup buckwheat flour 
1/2 tsp. salt 
2 tsp. baking powder 
2 eggs, beaten 
1 cup whole wheat flour 
1 tbsp. brown sugar 
1 tbsp. oil or melted butter 
2 cups milk, or 1 cup water and 1 cup milk

Heat up your griddle!

Sift the flour (buckwheat flour tends to lump) and stir together all dry ingredients using a whisk or large fork.
 

 Stir in milk, beaten eggs and oil, mix.

Pour a circle of the pancake batter onto the hot griddle. Buckwheat pancakes take a little longer to bake than other pancakes. Wait until small bubbles appear on the surface before turning them using a wide spatula.

You can adjust the thickness of the batter by adding more milk or water.
A teaspoon of vanilla can be added for extra flavor, if you want!

You will want to eat these hearty cakes with real maple syrup.  Yes, it is pricey, but yes, it is worth it.

Eat with a side of yogurt and fresh fruit to touch on a few more food groups.

Delicious!  By the way, did you know that buckwheat is actually a fruit?  It is gluten free, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol, and contains GOBS of fiber and protein.

Combine with the most basic exercise equipment you could ask for...concrete, grass, and a bench!  Use these three tools for the following exercises:
-running/walking/sprints
-shuffles, hops, grapevines
-lunges, backwards and forwards
-squats
-high knees
-leg raises/toe touches
-push-ups
-tricep dips
-ab series (crunches, cross-overs, planks)

Let me know what you think! Leave a comment!