Cook Extraordinary! Buckwheat Linguine Pasta with Kale-Macadamia Pesto

Servings: 2, Preparation: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 30 minutes, Equipments: Food processor, Colander/Small frying pan Quick/Easy/GF/VG/Paleo/Ket

Story

You know what's fascinating about buckwheat? It's not even wheat! It's a seed that packs a serious punch when it comes to protein. Just one ounce can get you well on your way to meeting your daily protein needs.

Now, here's the kicker: Buckwheat, whether it's unhulled, hulled, raw, in porridge, or roasted, is a nutritional powerhouse. It's loaded with more fiber, vitamins, and both macro- and trace minerals than your ordinary oatmeal. Plus, it sprouts like a champ in just a couple of days, which is fantastic.

The superstar of buckwheat forms is the groats, those sweet hulled seeds. And guess what? Buckwheat is gluten-free and has a low glycemic load, making it a great choice for many diets.

What makes this dish truly exceptional is its abundance of bone-boosting nutrition and it's incredibly rich flavor. The secrets are adding wheatgrass powder and Magnesium Broth. These ingredients work their magic and elevate the taste to a whole new level, ensuring that every bite is not only delicious but also packed with goodness.

In fact, it's like a shape-shifting ingredient that can easily replace your conventional gluten-packed pasta. It's time to bid farewell to those heavy carb-laden pasta dishes.

Ingredients

Pasta

8 cups (1.9L) water

2 sticks buckwheat (or 3.5-4 oz if not divided into single servings)

1 fresh rosemary stem

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon cooking olive oil

1 tablespoon sea salt

Sauce

⅓ cup (45g) macadamia nut

6-8 kale leaves

4-5 basil leaves

1 medium garlic clove

6 tablespoons Magnesium Broth* / coconut milk / water

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons shallot finely chopped

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon wheatgrass powder

Pinch sea salt and cracked pepper

Garnish

¼ cup (15g) mixed microgreens

2-5 basil leaves

3 Tablespoons finely crushed macadamia nuts

Directions

1. To cook the buckwheat noodles, begin by adding water, a sprig of rosemary, unprocessed sea salt, and oil to a medium pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the buckwheat noodles to the pot and boil for 5-8 minutes, or until they become transparent and fully cooked. Take one string of noodles to taste, If it is “all dante” 90% cooked, that is the time to remove the noodles from the pot. The noodles will continue cooking for 2-3 minutes after they stop cooking.

2. Once the noodles are cooked, turn off the stove and drain the noodles into a colander. Rinse the noodles 4-5 times with running water, and gently massage them to remove any slimy gelatinous texture. Rinse the noodles again and toss them with 2 tablespoons of olive oil to evenly coat them and prevent sticking. Transfer the noodles in the large mixing bowl. Set aside.

3. To prepare the sauce, heat a medium-sized sauté pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, shallot, and garlic to the pan, and saute for 3-5 minutes. Next, add the kale and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a small plate, let it cool for 2-3 minutes, set aside.

4. Transfer the cooked ingredients into a food processor, along with macadamia nuts, basil, broth, and wheatgrass. Pulse the mixture until it reaches a thick sauce texture, about 1-3 minutes. Add lemon juice, the high quality unfiltered sea salt, and fresh pepper to season the sauce to the end. Pulse once or twice more.

5. In the noodle bowl, add the sauce, mix gently, if the sauce is too dry, make sure to add a little more extra virgin olive oil to make the noodles smooth, and distribute the sauce well evenly.

6. In the serving plates, place the noodles in the shape of a swirl, or any shape you like. Imagine, the plate is your blank canvas. Use your imaginations, have fun with it. Garnish nuts, microgreens, and basil leaves.

Note
Kale is just one dark green leafy vegetable you can use in this sauce. We start with kale because it is a low-oxalate green. You can use spinach, parsley, and arugula, and they are rich in calcium. By avoiding high-oxalate processes, always add a drizzle of lemon juice to prevent oxidation . To switch things up, try using different bone-healthy nuts like sprouted almonds or sprouted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, or protein-rich hemp seeds.

Try buckwheat noodle Asia style by using Tahini Apple Ginger dressing (see the recipe, page xxx) . It will be another way to enjoy the noodles that make you sit at the tiny local joint in Japan.