Fluffy Buckwheat Pancakes with Poached Rhubarb

I have been wanting to try buckwheat pancakes for a while now and I am so glad I did.

These were quick and easy to make and rather delicious topped with yoghurt, rhubarb and a bit of strawberry sauce we had left in the fridge.

Buckwheat, despite having wheat in its name is not related to wheat at all, does not contain gluten or wheat fructans and is quite high in fibre (12.4g fibre per cup of buckwheat flour).  It is therefore a great ‘grain’ for any coeliacs, those with gluten sensitivities or for those on the low FODMAP diet.  For the rest of us, it makes a terrific addition to increase the variety of grains we use, rather than just eating wheat (breakfast cereal), wheat (sandwiches/roll/biscuits/cake), wheat (pasta etc) all the time!

Rhubarb is a very under-utilised fruit, mostly as people don’t seem to know what to do with it.  The red-coloured stalks are the edible part of rhubarb. You need to remove and discard the leaves (as these can be poisonous) and trim the base before cooking. Some rhubarb stalks contain ‘strings’ similar to celery, which should also be removed.

Rhubarb needs to be cooked with a small amount of sugar to balance its tart taste, or you can use other sweeter fruit like apples, pears, strawberries or oranges.  It is very low in calories (however adding sugar will increase the calorie content), is a good source of fibre (2.3g per cup) and has been used as a laxative due to its high content of emodin and rhein – two natural compounds with laxative properties.  It also contains calcium, vitamins C, A and K, magnesium, potassium, manganese and a little iron.

I encourage you to give these a go….

Buckwheat Pancakes

Makes 8

• 1 tablespoon ground linseeds
• 3 tablespoons soy or low fat milk
• 1/2 cup low fat yoghurt, plus extra to serve (for vegan option, use coconut or soy yoghurt – for low FODMAP use lactose free yoghurt)
• 1 over-ripe banana, mashed
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence
• 1 cup buckwheat flour*
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons raw sugar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Poached rhubarb (see recipe below)and/or strawberry sauce, to serve
• Maple syrup, to serve

Directions:

1. Preheat a frying pan over medium-low heat for a few minutes while you make the batter.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine ground linseeds, milk, yoghurt, banana and vanilla essence and whisk to combine.
3. In a larger mixing bowl, sift together buckwheat flour, baking powder. Add sugar and stir through.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir through gently.
5. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to the pan and swirl around.
6. Add 4 x 1/4 cup (approx.) of batter onto the frying pan and cook for about 2 minutes.
7. Flip pancakes and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until golden brown.
8. Repeat with remaining oil and mixture.
9. Serve with yoghurt, poached rhubarb and/or strawberry sauce and/or maple syrup.

Per Pancake:  507kJ or 121 calories; P3.7g Fat 3.4g SFat 0.5g CHO 18g Fibre 2g

Note:  Best eaten the day they are made.  Any leftover pancakes can be reheated the following day in the microwave for 30 seconds (approx.) each

Poached Rhubarb

Serves 12

• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (600g) bunch rhubarb, washed, trimmed, cut into 5cm lengths
• 1 cinnamon stick, optional
• 2 star anise, optional

Directions:

1. Place sugar, water, rhubarb, cinnamon stick and star anise (if using) into a medium saucepan.
2. Place lid on saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat.
3. Turn heat down to low and cook for 5 minutes, until rhubarb becomes soft.
4. Serve warm or cold.
5. Store in the fridge.  Cooked rhubarb can also be frozen.

Per Serve:  88kJ or 21 calories; P 0.5g Fat/SFat NONE! CHO 4g Fibre 1.2g

*Buckwheat Flour – is now available in most supermarkets and is available in any health food store.  This is the one I used.  Store in the fridge once opened.