Porcini Mushroom and Kale Buckwheat Risotto
Serves: 2-3 (4 if a side)
There is a blessing in every challenging situation - of that I am a firm believer - and If there was to be just one blessing that has come out of my food intolerance test (other than good health of course), this recipe is it!
Having to make big changes to my diet has worked wonders in the creativity stakes; I'm now having to think outside the square. Creativity breeds creativity, whatever it is you are doing. Who knows, before long I may have a palette with paint brushes to add to an already busy working space. Beware family members, Christmas is fast approaching ;-)
As a result of my tests, I've been reading more and more about the significance of rotating foods in your diet. It was interesting to note that many of the foods I am currently intolerant to where foods I ate very regularly; like raw cacao, eggs, dairy (Greek yoghurt how I miss thee!), peanuts (crunchy PB no more), almonds (almond milk, hot cakes, bliss balls etc). I wonder, if they had been (only) once weekly diet inclusions, whether they would in fact have featured in the results as foods to avoid?
So what is the basis of a rotation diet?
Essentially it is a system of controlling food allergies and intolerances by eating biologically related foods on the same day and then waiting at least four days before eating them again.
The primary goals being:
- To identify "hidden" food allergies or sensitivities
- To prevent additional allergies from developing
- To develop a tolerance to a greater variety of foods and increase the nutritional profile of the overall diet
For example, let's say buckwheat is one of your rotation foods. You eat this delicious buckwheat risotto on Sunday, and can eat buckwheat as many times as you like on that Sunday, however after that day buckwheat would not be eaten again until Thursday (4 days later).
In addition to this timing, you can take food rotation one step further and consider biologically related foods. These are foods from the same food family, or group of related foods. For our example, consider almonds, a tree nut. Almonds belong to the same botanical family (Rosaceae) as apples, pears, peaches, cherries, plums, nectarines, apricots and strawberries. So if you are rotating almonds you would then avoid the entire food family for the 4 days. Sounds like a whole lot of hard work doesn't it - and one that requires utmost patience and commitment. Has anyone followed a strict rotation diet? I'd love to hear your stories.
You'll need:
2 cups stock (bone broth, vegetable or chicken)
1 cup raw buckwheat
1 heaped cup mixed mushrooms, sliced (I used shiitake and field)
1 heaped cup of kale, finely sliced
1/2 brown onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 heaped teaspoon coconut oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
A good couple of pinches of salt
Ground pepper to taste
Pop your dried porcini into a small dish and cover with boiling water. Set aside.
Pour your stock into a small saucepan and bring it to the boil whilst preparing your other ingredients. Once boiling, lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
Heat a large saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Add the coconut oil, followed by the onion and garlic. Saute for a few minutes until the onion is translucent.
Add the buckwheat and saute for a couple of minutes until well coated, stirring continuously. Pour in about 1/2 cup of broth and stir gently until the liquid has absorbed. Drain your porcini mushrooms and slice. Add them to the saucepan with the other mushrooms and another 1/2 cup liquid. Stir gently until the liquid has absorbed. Now add in the kale and another 1/2 cup liquid and continue the process. With the last 1/2 cup of stock throw in your parsley and some good pinches of sea salt.
The process of adding liquid and absorption will take 15-20 minutes. Buckwheat has a good chew so don't expect it to go soft. Once the liquid has completely absorbed add the coconut milk and heat, stirring for 3 minutes or so to thicken and heat. Season to taste.
Serve with extra chopped, fresh parsley on the top.
What's your favourite way to eat buckwheat? And do you consciously rotate foods in your diet?
