This is a pudding. A buckwheat pudding. A blueberry and huckleberry buckwheat pudding. It's sweetened with maple syrup and made creamy with coconut milk, and it's a rather lovely breakfast paired with a hot cup of green tea. I'm thinking of making myself a chocolate version as well. I might even throw an avocado in there. The creamier the better. If you feel inclined, a handful of soaked cashews would do right by this recipe. Then eat it out on the front stoop, in the cool morning light. Watch the dew evaporate. Listen to the bugs creaking and cars whirring by in the distance.

It's easy to forget the simple joys in life. To get caught in the glistening web of distractions -- gotta do more, gotta be more.  Watching leaves ripple in the wind. A bite of chocolate. A clutch of birds winging up and off into the branches of a magnolia. Beautiful moments that don't have much inherent meaning. In honor of Robin Williams passing, I watched Dead Poets Society again. It's written by a woman name N.H. Kleinbaum. If you've seen the film, you know that it's one of the best. Completely inspiring and heartbreaking. This quote is what I'm thinking on today:

“We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?” 

Let's be artists. Now I'm off to make pancakes with Anna Beth McNamera -- she's just released her single! Her album releases in September (woo!).

Recipe adapted from My New Roots Raspberry Ripple Buckwheat Porridge.

Blueberry Maple Swirl Buckwheat Pudding (Gluten Free, Vegan)

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw buckwheat groats
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• 3 cups frozen blueberries (I used a combination of blueberries and huckleberries)
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ cup full fat coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon ghee or coconut oil if vegan
• 3 tablespoons hemp hearts
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 2 teaspoons bee pollen, omit if vegan
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot
• pinch salt
• frozen blueberries, to garnish

Instructions

1. Soak buckwheat groats overnight with 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice (at least 8 hours). Once soaked, drain and rinse your groats thoroughly.
2. Add blueberries and maple syrup to the bowl of a blender. Blend until smooth. If the frozen blueberries are getting jammed, add a teaspoon of water at time until the blueberries are blended uniformly.
3. Spoon out ⅓ cup of the blueberries into a small bowl and set aside if you want to create a swirl or layered effect in your pudding.
4. Add buckwheat groats, coconut milk, ghee or coconut oil, hemp hearts, lime juice, bee pollen, arrowroot, and a pinch of salt to the blender filled with blended, frozen blueberries.
5. Blend on high for 2 minutes, until the pudding becomes very smooth -- I prefer the pudding totally smooth, so I blend it for up to 4 minutes. If you like buckwheat's natural texture, you could blend for as little as 30 seconds.
6. To create the swirl, fill your jars or glasses about a quarter of the way full with pudding, then add a teaspoon of blueberry puree, top with more pudding, then puree, and so on until you've filled the glass. Run a spoon down the inside of the glass to create a ripple. Top with a small dollop of the puree, and stir it lightly to create a swirl. Top with a handful of frozen blueberries and enjoy!