A few years ago I would have stared at you blankly if you asked me what amaranth was.
But lately, I’ve been experimenting with different whole grains – for both taste and nutrition – and it’s led to some delicious results!
Yesterday I cooked up some amaranth: a high-protein, gluten-free grain (seed, actually!) that was a staple food of the ancient Aztecs.
It was mushier than I expected after cooking, so instead of adding it to a salad like I had planned, it morphed into a hot cereal which we topped with berries, bananas, nuts and maple syrup. It was SO good, and a refreshing change of pace from our regular oatmeal.
Amaranth would also be perfect in recipes calling for polenta, grits, or as a healthier substitute for Cream of Wheat.
- 1 cup amaranth
- 1 cup organic Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- Bananas, berries or other fruit for topping
- Chopped nuts and/or coconut flakes for topping
- More maple syrup for drizzling
- Cook amaranth according to package directions.
- When amaranth is cooked (about 20 minutes), remove from heat and stir in yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon and pinch of salt.
- Let cool slightly then serve with desired toppings.
To make this cereal dairy-free, swap out the yogurt for ½ cup coconut milk.
I received this Amaranth from Bob’s Red Mill as part of my partnership with Stonyfield. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4 Comments
Anna
June 8, 2014 at 2:21 pmThis is perfect! I just bought a bag of Bob’s Red Mill amarath and didn’t really know where and how I’m going to incorporate it and here I check your blog and see this recipe! I can’t imagine, though, putting greek yogurt into hot amarath: does it melt?
Amelia Winslow
June 8, 2014 at 2:25 pmGreat timing, Anna 😉 The yogurt melts in and makes the amaranth creamy – just make sure you remove the amaranth from heat (and that it’s not boiling) before stirring in the yogurt. Let me know how you like it!
Kim
July 1, 2014 at 4:35 amThis is a great idea, I’ve only used amaranth as an alternative to cous cous and I’ve been fairly uninspired by it – but I love porridge so I’m going to give this a go!
Amelia Winslow
July 1, 2014 at 9:19 amI agree, Kim – unless amaranth is in porridge form I’m not a big fan either!