Organic Mushrooms With Egg And Buckwheat

Surprisingly buckwheat is not a cereal at all but a seed collected from a relative of the rhubarb plant. Probably first brought to Europe from Asia by the Crusaders many centuries ago. It’s rich in a substance called rutin which has the amazing ability to strengthen the tiniest blood vessels in the circulatory system. It’s a great detoxifier as it stimulates digestive function as well as benefiting varicose veins, high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries.

225 g / 8 oz buckwheat
450 ml / 15 fl oz boiling water
1 large organic free range egg
50 g / 2 oz butter
1 tbsp virgin olive oil
1 large finely chopped onion
225 g / 8 oz thinly sliced mushrooms
small carton plain live low fat organic yogurt
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Beat the egg in a large bowl and add the cooked buckwheat, stirring thoroughly. Put the mixture in a non-stick pan with no oil and cook slowly until toasted and dry. Use a little of the butter to grease an ovenproof dish, put in the buckwheat, the rest of the butter, a pinch of salt and the boiling water. Cook in a preheated oven 180C/350F/gas 4 for 20 minutes.

While the buckwheat is cooking, sweat the onions in the oil until they’re soft but not brown. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the parsley and pepper, stirring constantly. When the buckwheat is cooked, stir in the onion and mushroom mixture, add the yoghurt and serve hot.

Vital statistics:
123 calories per 100 g
360 calories per portion which also give you 9 g of protein, lots of good carbohydrates, fibre, plenty of potassium, and valuable amounts of iron, zinc, copper, selenium, iodine, vitamin B6, folic acid and vitamin A. This is a really satisfying and cleansing dish with the added bonus of the beneficial live bacteria from the yoghurt.