I've written so many times how buckwheat flakes are one of my most favorite things to eat. Especially for breakfast. Often for lunch and dinner too. It seems that I just can't get tired of them. They are ready in 3 minutes and taste divine when served with a dash of quality cold pressed oil and some soy sauce or tamari. I could eat the same breakfast for months. I love how fluffy the buckwheat porridge gets when using flakes. So I guess it's not a surprise that I wanted to take these flakes to a new level and make something even more fabulous out of them.
Shepherd's pie or cottage pie is an old favorite. The original recipe contains mince meat mixture and mashed potatoes on top. Vegan versions can vary in many different ways. You can use mince soy or lentils instead of mince meat. In my cookbook "Vegan Dinner Party" I have a delicious shepherd's pie recipe with lentils, mushrooms, veggies and mashed potatoes. So if you crave that classic feel, you'll have that with this recipe.
But this particular pie is different. Tastes absolutely amazing of course, but buckwheat flakes are used instead of mashed potatoes. And the filling is just to die for. I am a HUGE, HUGE fan of broccoli. I know, I say these kinds of things about many foods, so I had to use capital letters here. I could eat broccoli straight out of pan when it's simmered with a little bit of water and salt. Which I did in this recipe. But I had to stop because then I wouldn't have any filling left. Imagine tender and juicy broccoli with crispy tofu cubes and luscious spinach and hearty and fluffy buckwheat flake porridge on top. Perfection. I can't wait to make this dish again, it's a keeper for sure!
Preparation time: 15 minutes active, 30 minutes passive. Total: 45 minutes.
Serves: 4-6 people (I used a 8 x 7 inch / 20 x 17 cm baking dish)
Ingredients:
For the filling:
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 9 oz / 250 g firm tofu
- 4 cups / 300 g broccoli florets
- 4 cups / 100 g fresh spinach
- ¾ - 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup / 240 ml vegan milk or cream
- 1 Tbsp tomato sauce
For the buckwheat porridge:
- 2 cups / 480 ml water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup / 100 g buckwheat flakes
- 3 Tbsp tomato sauce
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F / 200 C. Heat up a bigger pan and pour some oil in it. Add cubed tofu and cook, until the tofu cubes are golden brown. Add broccoli florets. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add spinach and salt. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add vegan milk or cream and tomato sauce. Stir and cook for a minute or two. Remove the heat.
In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add salt and buckwheat flakes. Boil for about 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce and stir. Cover the pot with a lid, remove the heat and let the porridge sit for a minute or two.
Grease a smaller baking pan. Pour in all the filling. Now spread the buckwheat flake porridge evenly onto the filling. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Tip: you can also used drained and rinsed canned beans instead of tofu.
