The inner health-nut/new-age/crunchy-granola-hippie in me loves the idea of manipulating raw foods to make them more nutritious. That’s why I’ve gotten into the whole soaking/sprouting thing. I kind of want to sprout everything…does anyone else have this problem?

What is sprouting? Sprouting is, essentially, soaking your raw foods in water until they start popping little green sprouts. Many cultures around the world have practiced sprouting foods for thousands of years. In fact, Ancient Chinese writings show that physicians prescribed sprouts for curing diseases over 5,000 years ago. Nowadays, the Western world is finally catching on to the health benefits that come from sprouting and healthy foodies all over (like me!) are becoming sprout obsessed.

Sprouting 101: When you soak your grains/beans/legumes/seeds/or nuts, their complex carbohydrates break down into simple sugars and their proteins break down into amino acids. This helps to make raw foods easier for our bodies to digest and process. Sprouting also allows foods to develop more concentrated vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, fiber, and enzymes turning our little seeds and nuts into nutritional superstars. Research has even suggested that Vitamins A, B, C, & E increases up to 20 percent from the original value after sprouting.

Buckwheat groats are one of the simplest sprouts around. All you’ll need to do is soak them overnight, rinse them thoroughly, and voila! Sprouts! Nutrition! Enzymes!

In this porridge, we’re enjoying our buckwheat groats raw to readily absorb and digest all the living enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and sprouted magic. Buckwheat is free of gluten and a great source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, folate, protein, and iron. Combining those groats with almond milk, sweet banana, flax, almond butter, cinnamon, and dates creates a satisfying, creamy, and delicious breakfast. They’re great grab-and-go breakfasts and are deliciously cool and nourishing on warm mornings.

I love to top my buckwheat porridge with all sorts of goodies, so feel free to get creative. Some great toppings include:

Fruit: apples, oranges, banana slices, pear, berries, pomegranate seeds, mango, kiwi
Nuts: almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, cashews, brazil nuts
Seeds: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds
Etc.: cacao nibs, tahini, nut butters, bee pollen, yogurt, coconut flakes, goji berries, dried fruits

Raw Buckwheat Porridge

Serves 2

1 cup buckwheat groats, soaked overnight
½ cup vanilla almond milk
1 ripe banana
1 T ground flax seeds
1 T almond butter
2 mejdool dates, pits removed
Dash of cinnamon

Soak buckwheat groats in 2 cups water overnight. In the morning, rinse buckwheat groats thoroughly until water runs clear. Add groats to a blender and pulse until groats are semi-broken down. Add in the remainder of the ingredients and pulse gently until mixture is thick and creamy, with a bit of texture.

Pour buckwheat porridge into glasses and garnish with fruit, nuts, and seeds. Enjoy!