I’ve had a canister of amaranth sitting in my cupboard for a long time – like a couple of years. And I don’t know why because this stuff is so delicious.
I grew up eating Cream-O-Wheat. This has the same smooth and silky texture, but tons more flavor. It’s definitely a stick-to-your ribs kind of breakfast food.
Most grains have the same cooking instructions – for every 1 cup of grain, cook in 2 cups of water. Amaranth requires 3 cups of water per 1 cup of grain. And it needs to be cooked for 25 minutes. But after 25 minutes, there’s quite a bit of water left sitting on the top. Most instructions say to stir in the water and let it sit for 10 – 15 minutes, but that still isn’t enough to absorb the extra liquid.
So the second time I made amaranth, I decided to cut back on the water. Didn’t work. The grain stuck to the bottom of the pan. So basically this grain needs extra water to swim around in before it can cook properly. Now I just drain off the excess water. Easy solution.
I make a batch of this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge or freezer and take out just enough to make up a bowl for myself. I top it with some fruit, nuts and soy milk and I’m good to go all morning.
For those following Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live program, this recipe complies with both the weight loss and life plans.
Ingredients (serves about 6)
1 cup amaranth
3 cups water
Toppings (per person)
½ banana – sliced
½ cup raspberries – fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon walnuts – chopped
½ cup soy or almond milk
Directions
1. Place the amaranth and water in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat, stir and let stand for 10 – 15 minutes. Drain off excess water.
2. Serve hot with toppings and milk.
Deborah Davis says
This recipe intrigued me because I have never eaten amaranth yet! Your photo looks so delicious and I know that amaranth has been on my must-try list for quite a while, so thanks to you, I am going to try it. I’m pinning and sharing this!