Cooking With Kasha

Do you eat the same foods that you grew up with? For about half of my life I did – eating the same foods I was used to, the same familiar recipes. Isn’t that what most of us do – stick to eating what we know?

To have a truly healthy diet you need to expand your horizons. You need to go out of your comfort zone of cooking and try some really great, really easy recipes using a variety of grains, beans, legumes, etc. By reducing the amount of simple carbohydrates in your diet and replacing them with mouth-watering complex carbohydrates, you are well on your way to a healthier diet.

One of my favorite foods is Kasha—also known as buckwheat. It has a wonderful nutty flavor.

Here are some facts about buckwheat:
• Buckwheat is full of protein, vitamins and amino acids
• Buckwheat is a complex carbohydrate that will satisfy your
appetite
• It is gluten free
• It is a great source of dietary fiber
• Buckwheat is actually a plant
• It has no cholesterol
• It is almost fat free
• Buckwheat can be used as a main meal, a side dish or in soups,
salads and stuffing

One of the best things about Kasha is how easy it is to make. Here is one of my favorite recipes:

Cut several onions or one large Spanish onion into thin strips. Sauté the onion in a small amount of olive oil until the onion becomes golden and caramelized.
While the onion is cooking, place one cup of Kasha in a separate saucepan. Mix in one beaten egg. Cook the mixture over medium high heat, stirring continuously for about 3 minutes. When the kasha kernels are dry and separated, it is time to add
some liquid.
Add 2 cups of water or vegetable broth to the kasha mixture and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.
Mix the onions and kasha together and you have a great meal or side dish.

You can vary this easy recipe by adding some sliced sautéed mushrooms, celery or peas. Vary the vegetables by what you have available in the house.

To make life even easier, make a double batch. One night serve the Kasha using the recipe above. For another meal, cook up a pound of Bow Tie pasta and add the Kasha mixture. The sweetness of the onions and the nuttiness of the kasha make a great addition to pasta.