All the colors and lush flavors of summer in a delightful, gluten-free, & vegan Rainbow Buckwheat Salad. Crisp veggies, sweet blueberries, and fragrant spices like cardamom pull this cold side dish recipe together.
Let’s throw it back to late last summer when I made this little buckwheat salad! Thankfully we still have some summertime left! The summer season doesn’t officially end until mid-September anyway (people tend to forget that!) Summer days can seem so long and blissful looking back, yet in the moment they sometimes seem to be running away from us. But some days can seem SO long and I have done so much, yet there are the other days where I’m getting ready to go to bed and realize I didn’t do a thing.
That’s not always bad, to end up doing nothing, but I usually like to have some sense of accomplishment in at least a few things of importance. This summer has mostly been filled with random “adventures” as I like to call them. Just driving around to the various “semi-easy to get to” places around my home “area” and enjoying it all like I never have before. I’ve mentioned before that I hate driving, but it’s grown on me so much this summer. I love just getting in the car now and driving. It feels like an escape and allows for tons of thinking and introspection.
The other thing I’ve been doing, is of course, cooking and baking. The amount of recipes that have been produced leads me to seriously contemplate a cookbook/ebook. The actual process of doing that, though, seems rather daunting. It’s hard to do all this by yourself; I wish I had a mini team to help me along. If something like that is meant to be, then it will eventually happen in due time. If you could tell, by this recipe, you know I’m still slowly on putting up all those old (super old) recipes I have. Even though I really want to share the new things, I don’t want these to be forgotten in the endless folders on my laptop. They deserve their day to shine!
So in the spirit of an endless summer and old beautiful recipes, I’m sharing this Rainbow Buckwheat Salad today. It’s super light with crunch, pops of sweet, hits of fresh and fragrant flavor. I’ve loaded in carrots, radishes, fresh mint and basil, endive, blueberries, and some vinegar and warming spices to bring it all together. If you’re still never had fresh, whole cooked buckwheat, this is the simple side dish to try! Buckwheat has so much flavor on its own, so pairing it with other things can be a bit tricky, but I think you’ll find this salad rather pleasant!
Rainbow Buckwheat Salad
Rainbow Buckwheat Salad
All the colors and lush flavors of summer in a delightful, gluten-free, & vegan Rainbow Buckwheat Salad. Crisp veggies, sweet blueberries, and fragrant spices like cardamom pull this cold side dish recipe together.
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Uncooked Buckwheat
- 1 Cup Sliced Raw Carrots
- 1 Cup Sliced Raw Baby Radishes
- 1 Cup Sliced Endive
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Blueberries
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Mint
- 2 TB Chopped Basil
- 3 TB Roasted Garlic Infused Red Wine Vinegar
- 1/2 Tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Allspice
- 1/8 Tsp Cardamom
Instructions
- Cook the buckwheat with 2 cups of water on the stove (about 20 minutes) and let cool.
- Prep all your veggies in the meantime.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked and cooled buckwheat with the veggies, vinegar, and spices. Mix well to combine.
- Serve chilled.
Notes
*If you can’t find that specific vinegar, you can use normal red wine vinegar and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
I hope you enjoy this Rainbow Buckwheat Salad on your long summer days and relish every moment we have left of the season. Rest, recharge, nourish, go on random adventures in your hometown, cook and bake daily. No matter who you are, the summer is a time of rejuvenation, not just “out-of-school” kids! Take a long walk when you come home from work. Wake up with the sun. Breathe!
So tell me:
+ What have your typical summer days looked like?
+ Do you like driving? If other people knew HOW to drive and if I had AC and a horn in the car…well…it would be more enjoyable!
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Deborah Davis
I love hearty, chunky, textured salads like this healthy vegan, gluten free buckwheat salad. I have not used buckwheat in a long time so this is just the recipe to try!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Yes it will! It’s such a great healthy change up!
Shirley Wood
It’s almost too pretty to eat. I love eating the rainbow too.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, thanks, Shirley!
Angela
Looks delicious! Pinned 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks!
kimmythevegan
What a pretty, summer salad! I have to admit… I’m sad that the days are getting shorter 🙁 I will try to remind myself that there is still a month+ of summer left!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
They are getting shorter 🙁
Amanda
Yet another meal that makes me want to eat healthy.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Eating healthy just means eating real food!
Miz Helen
This is a great salad!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks!
Pamela Shank
Pinned recipe. As usual, your recipe is so beautiful, colorful and healthy. I always look forward to your posts.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
You are so sweet! Thank you!
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition
This looks so colorful and healthy!
I’m Pinning and sharing!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks!
Sarah- A Whisk and Two Wands
Yet another reason to eat the rainbow! I love salads that include fruits and veggies together!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
The REAL rainbow!
Tuned In Parents
We’re all about fresh, natural, and allergy-friendly foods. Sharing your wonderful recipe, Rebecca, and following you on Pinterest!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Aw, thanks, friend!
Karen Grosz
I recently purchased buckwheat and wanted some recipes. Yeah. This looks healthy and yummy. I will also be pinning.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Fantastic! Thanks!
Jennifer @ Fit Nana
This looks delicious!!! I can’t wait to try it!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I hope you do!
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner
Love all the colors and textures in there!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you!
Debbie
This salad is so colorful and looks so delicious!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks!
Melissa Ruddy
This is such a beautiful colorful summer salad. The buckwheat looks so fluffy it almost has the appearance of risotto. ds like a
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, definitely not creamy risotto here!
Starr
This salad looks amazing! I love the addition of blueberries and buckwheat.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Double B 😉
Chrissa - Physical Kitchness
You should TOTALLY create a cookbook or ebook. You have SO MUCH MATERIAL and your recipes would be great for a lot of allergy-friendly meals!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you, Chrissa! Maybe….. 😉
Marla
HI Rebecca,
This salad looks so colorful and tasty. I love the idea of putting the buckwheat in the salad. Pinned & tweeted!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you!
Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious
I am in LOVE with this salad! So nourishing and filling. Also love the pop of blueberries in here. Pinning!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you so much, Megan! I’m glad I finally posted it! Haha!
Midge
Im definitely going to give this a go – we try and eat a rainbow with each meal or at least across the day! Have had a bag of buckwheat in the back of the cupboard that I don’t really know what to do with!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Perfect! And I try to eat the rainbow with every meal too! The more colors the better!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
What a beautiful salad full of fresh veggies! I love that I can swap some of the veggies depending what’s in season too. Pinning for later – thanks!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks, Pamela!
Gin
You don’t have a horn in your car? Holy shuks girl, that has to be interesting. I feel you on driving meditation, under the right circumstances it can be fantastic. Awesomely healthy and gorgeous salad, as usual! 😀
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Not having a horn….it’s dangerous and I’ve had some close calls :/
Julie @ Running in a Skirt
Any food with rainbow in the title is perfect for me! What a great salad.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, yes! Thanks, Julie!
Annmarie
So pretty!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks!
Celeste
This salad is beautiful, I love buckwheat!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you, Celeste!
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite
This looks delicious Rebecca!! I love all the flavors here, especially that twist of mint!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I know you love mint 😉
Lindsay Cotter
There is so much to love about this salad! It’s so pretty and the flavors sound amazing!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, yes! Thanks Lindsay!
Kim Beaulieu
This is just the prettiest salad ever. I love rainbow salads, they’re just so fun to eat.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Pretty things are always a bit more fun 😉
Charlene Asay
This looks so summery and healthy. I love these kind of recipes. Thanks for sharing with us all.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you!
Ashley@CookNourishBliss
I have really been enjoying buckwheat lately! This salad looks fantastic!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Well I hope you’ll try this then!
Sarah @ Happy + Healthy Taste Buds
It’s always fun to add berries to your salad, for that little bit of “sweet.” I’ve only thrown blueberries and carrots together on a salad once though–I just thought those flavors were so weird together! 😛 How do you feel about the carrot-blueberry combo in this salad? Do you feel like the other flavors in this salad bring them together??
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I’m not sure how to answer that…
Sarah @ Happy + Healthy Taste Buds
Haha I’ll just have to make it and decide for myself, I guess! 😉 Thanks! 🙂
Choclette
I don’t know what it is about buckwheat, I love baking with the flour, but I can’t get on with eating the grain and I’m really not fussy. Your salad does look rather delicious though.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Try kasha! It’s buckwheat groats, just toasted! The flavor is much nuttier and less “intense”!
Valerie
What a yummy summer salad. I’ve never tried Buckwheat before.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
You must give it a go!
Demeter | Beaming Baker
So many ingredients to love in this salad! I don’t even know where to start! 🙂 Also, I completely agree that some days are good with nothing much having occurred. We need more days like that, you know? I’m crossing my fingers for you that you have a cookbook one day. These recipes, old and new, deserve to be bound and gifted to someone special! 🙂 Pinning, of course! 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
If I ever create one, I’ll send you the first copy 😉 xoxo
Evi @ greenevi
I honestly LOVE every single ingredient here! It’s such a beautiful salad, Rebecca, I’ll be surely making it this summer 🙂
And pinned of course!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you sweetheart!
Lauren
This salad is so pretty!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks!
Aimee | Wallflower Kitchen
Gorgeous, Rebecca! I have recently started getting into buckwheat in a big way and can’t wait to try making something like this. I’ve also heard it makes great risottos, have you tried that yet?
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
No, I haven’t but that would be so lovely and have such a fresh taste! I would think kasha would be fabulous as well which is just toasted buckwheat! That would be a wonderful risotto base!
Sam @ A Happy Home In Holland
Looks delicious! I have never tried buckwheat but I am finally getting my other half to try more new foods so we will have to give this one a try.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
This will be a great one to try!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
Buckwheat is one of those things I need to use more! Love the sound of this – the spices you’ve used sound fantastic.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
It’s great to keep in the rotation!
Teffy @ Sprinkle of Green
I always forget that adding berries to salad is an option – the blueberries and the buckwheat seem delicious in this – as does everything else in it!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Yes! And buckwheat is a type of flower seed so I feel like sweet berries are fitting with it 😉
neil@neilshealthymeals.com
Blueberries in a salad are awesome. I tried that combination recent’y and wow, taste sensation!
I can imagine here how the taste combination of the buckwheat and blueberries would work SO well together! 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
It’s the perfect sweet pop!
Giselle Rochford
I haven’t had buckwheat in so long! Need to try this.
And I too hate driving. I haven’t driven in almost 7 years even though I have a license lol. If I ever move home to Trinidad I’ll have to start again because public transportation there is the worstttt. Luckily Canada’s transit is super reliable 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Make some!
Ah! Haha, well living in rural NJ….the only way to get anywhere is by car!
Agnes
yum! this is so up my alley. love everything about this salad
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Agnes!!
Carly @ FitLiving Eats
I have a huge jar of buckwheat in my pantry that I haven’t known what to do with, and now I know!!! I can’t wait to make this salad… yum!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Yes, perfect!!! Don’t let that lovely buckwheat go to waste!
Mandy
What a beautiful summer salad!! I LOVE buckwheat, but have only eaten it for breakfast…leave it to you to create another way to enjoy it. I’ve been kind of obsessed with cardamom these days, so I’m loving that you added that in there 🙂 I have no doubt it’s a TON of work, but I say you absolutely need to get a cookbook going!! <3
Our summer days have been fairly uneventful…just house projects and playing around in the kitchen when I'm not chasing Willow around! Honestly, I'm not a fan of driving – mostly due to other people on the road (not sure how some of them even got a license)! But thank goodness for AC in the car…sorry! It's been so hot here and since we don't have AC at home, it's like our way of getting a bit of relief, but my hubby doesn't have AC in his car and it's miserable, so I feel ya, friend! <3
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Cardamom can be SO overpowering, so I always like to somehow find it in subtle ways I enjoy! I have to control myself around that spice, otherwise, we could have a flavor disaster!
Haha, yes! Even after reading so much on “how” t d o it, I still feel so in the dark and not knowing where to start!
Uneventful can be perfectly fine! Haha, seriously…some people…I just don’t know HOW they passed their drivers test :/
Casey the College Celiac
I’m kind of addicted to buckwheat so a buckwheat salad sounds amazing!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Buckwheat life!
Amberjane
Rebecca I always love your recipes!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you!
Citra Kale @Citra's Home Diary
looks amazing treat. Full of color and flavor
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Citra!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I’ve only had buckwheat as cereal. I love that it’s gluten free!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Buckwheat is more than just breakfast!
Shashi @ RunninSrilankan
I rarely ever eat raw radishes – heck, I hardly ever eat them cooked either – so I cannot wait to try them in this colorful and tasty salad!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
They are a veggie I neglect too! (They are KILLER roasted!)
Sarah | Well and Full
This salad looks amazing, Rebecca! I love all of the colors and flavors. Beautiful photos, too! 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks, Sarah!
Linda @ Veganosity
Three people have said, “summer’s over” recently. No. No it’s not. Not even close.
This salad is totally my kind of dish, and I love the blueberries.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
FARRR from! It’s over when I SAY it’s over!
Thank you, Linda! xoxo
Laura
I love cooked buckwheat, and blueberries in anything immediately means it’s a good thing in my books:) Looks delicious!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Hahaha 😉 I had a feeling you would approve!
Elle @ Only Taste Matters
That salad not only looks beautiful but tasty as well!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you, Elle!
Raia
Yes, buckwheat is the way to my heart. Well, after chocolate, of course. 😉 And all those fruits and veggies sound like a wonderful addition!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Same here 😉 xo
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
I am down with anything rainbow and healthy! Pinning!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, woohoo! Thanks, my friend!
Nayna Kanabar
I have recently started to use buckwheat and I really like it. Your salad looks so colourful.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Buckwheat is fantastic!
Chrystal @ Gluten-Free Palate
This will be a great side dish for the BBQ we are going to this weekend. Thank you!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Perfect! Thanks, Chrystal!
Beverley @ Born to Sweat
i’ve never tried buckwheat like this before! i always have had it in crunchy cereal mixes. this looks delcious, i loveee how colorful it is
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Ah, cooking it just like rice or quinoa is such a wonderful way to change it up!
Emily @ My Healthyish Life
You know I (am learning to) appreciate the simple summer days. I like the sense of accomplishment too, but some days those “random adventures” are more fulfilling! Love the colors in this recipe 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, yes, exactly!! When the weather is nice, I want to get out of the house!
Rachel@RachelMcMichael.com
This is different, but looks so good and refreshing!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
You need to give buckwheat a try!
rachel @ Athletic Avocado
So much color and flavor here! What a beautiful summer salad!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Rachel!