Now that it is officially winter, I thought it would be a good time to talk about some of the warming, sustaining ingredients of traditional winter foods.  Today we'll look at buckwheat and the sweet potato.

In many cultures, Buckwheat is prized for its super nutrition and versatility, and you'll find it in a variety of preparations, such as the buckwheat noodles of Japan and Korea, European buckwheat pancakes, and many  Eastern European dishes use buckwheat in its most simple form - wholegrains made into porridges or grain dishes. The small triangular seeds of buckwheat can be toasted in a frying pan to bring out their earthy rich flavour, and this form is known as Kasha. As with many foods that have a long history as "peasant food" Buckwheat is highly nutritious and can be made into sustaining foods that are very satisfying and delicious. Buckwheat is gluten free, and is an excellent source of protein and amino acids, and has excellent protective health benefits for the cardiovascular system, helping to reduce cholesterol and help to stabilise and maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Buckwheat has a reputation for tasting kind of weird and bitter. This is perhaps due to the fragility of buckwheat flour, which tastes quite bitter when it is not  fresh, and can make baked goods taste flat and bitter. This reputation is unfortunate, as buckwheat is actually a delicious alternative to rice and other grains, and meals that include buckwheat offer sustained energy that keep you feeling satisfied for longer. It is really easy to cook, (easier than rice) and leftovers last well and can be re-hashed into many different dishes. Read more about buckwheat, and check out these simple recipes: Buckwheat Sweet Potato patties, Buckwheat porridge, Savoury Buckwheat Hash.

Sweet Potatoes are one of my favourite foods to turn to when I'm craving something sweet and rich and wanting something really yummy. Unlike other sweet rich foods that we might crave,  (such as cakes or pasta with cheese), sweet potatoes offer a very low glycemic index. What this means is that when you are digesting sweet potato, you experience a gradual rise in blood sugar, so that you'll feel satisfied for longer, rather than a rapid peak and crash in energy that you experience with more refined sugars and carbohydrates. Sweet potatoes are also very rich in nutrients such as Vitamin A, C and manganese, all of which are especially important in winter.

Sweet potato is a great veg to cook when you don't have time to be fussy in the kitchen, just slice them in half length ways, and place on a baking tray. Roast for about 45 minutes, and they're done.