Where breakfast is concerned, some people are “gimme a cup of coffee and I’m good.” This would not be me. I need to put food in my morning belly. Could be a smoothie, a bowl of oatmeal or a granola bar on the go, but I’ve got to have something. I’m almost always hungry before 8 AM and besides, I exercise and I need energy.
I’ve always been big on oatmeal, but when I was working on recipe testing with Mom on her Cook without a Book: Meatless Meals, she and I did a lot of work with whole grains. I remember going to the Whole Foods and going wild in the bulk bins. We were bagging and weighing grains we’d never tried or cooked with. We came home, read up and figured out how to cook them and what they went best with. It was fun. One of the most attractive grains was amaranth. Like oats, amaranth reduces blood pressure and cholesterol and helps strengthen your immune system; and like quinoa, it’s full of protein and gluten-free.
(amaranth seed)
After working with it a bit, I realized that amaranth would make a great hot cereal (and also a great way to get protein in the morning without eating meat). When I cooked the amaranth, it was somewhat sticky and thick, so I added some soy milk to thin it out (you could use regular milk too). It worked like a charm. If you mix in anywhere from a half cup to one cup of soy milk, the amaranth takes on the consistency of cream of wheat. And it’s delicious. The flavor is nutty and earthy and the texture is a bit more interesting than oatmeal.
Here’s a very simple method for cooking amaranth and turning it into cereal. And then just treat it like you would oatmeal. This week I’ve been topping it with toasted & chopped pecans, raisins and agave. Next week I’m thinking berries, cinnamon and maybe a few little shavings of dark chocolate.
- 1 cup amaranth
- 2½ cups water
- ½ cup to 1 cup soy milk (depending on desired consistency)
- Bring amaranth and water to a boil in a saucepan. Once boiling, reduce heat and partially cover. Stirring occasionally, simmer for 25-30 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Add soy milk, a little at a time, until desired consistency. Top with nuts, fresh or dried fruits and honey, agave or maple syrup.
This looks so much better than the toast and peanut butter I just had for breakfast ! There are so many bins at Whole Foods it can make a person’s head spin, so thanks for sharing this. I am going to give it a try…
I love this idea, though in the summer months, I am not in the mood for something hot. Do you have any idea how you would amaranth cold or room temp?
OMG! I love, Love, LOVE this recipe! I have been craving it since you mentioned it last week. Totes making it. HUGS!
Alonna, I totally understand. I work in a hyper-air-conditioned office so a hot breakfast is fine for me! But I have definitely walked away from it and come back to a cooler amaranth cereal and it’s just as delicious. Give it a try!
Gluten Free – yay! You mentioned last week you cooked up a pot of it for the week – is there any trick to re-heating? Sometimes when I cook hot rice cereal and top with soy milk it becomes kind of gelatinous when it cools, which is okay I guess. I’m just curious what you do. 🙂
Alice, yes! That’s exactly what I did. I made the amaranth and then brought the container of it to work. Then, each day, I spooned out a portion into a bowl, added 1/4 cup of soy milk and microwaved it for a couple minutes. It’s just as good as if you’d made it fresh.
Really interested to try this. Always looking for others ways to eat protein in the morning!
Just this morning had a boiled egg for breakfast, for protein (just starting to try low carb for weight loss) and it just wasn’t enough (I’ve been eating raw oatmeal with a little brown sugar, cinnamon and milk – for about 20 years) so I had a handful of craisins and walnuts, too. Maybe I’ll try this next. Still not clear on how high the carbs are in whole grains like oats – easy to look up, I know.
OMG this is totes gorgeous. What a great idea for using a healthy grain! Thanks for the straightforward recipe and the good ideas to get creative in the bulk bin aisle. xoxox
I add cooked amarnath to mashed potatoes, meatballs, cook it along with rice , add it in soups , the list is endless
I eat amaranth for breakfast at least twice a week, but I don’t cook it like this. I pop it on the stove like popcorn! It makes a great cold cereal! I like to add cocoa powder, coconut, nuts, and dried cherries to the popped cereal, and top with lightly sweetened milk. It’s delicious!
To pop the amaranth, just heat a dry pan over medium-high heat for a few minutes, add the amaranth (only about 1 Tbs at a time), cover with a lid and shake vigorously over the burner. It only takes about 10 seconds to pop. It’s a little tricky because it burns easily, so you might have to go through a few test batches to get it right.
I’ve been trying to cut down on the amount of meat I cook. I’d love to know when your Mom’s cookbook is coming out!
The Pub Date is October 24th, thanks for asking Jessi!
I tried this recipe today and am posting it on my blog, Naloma Kitchen! Thank you for such a warm and yummy breakfast!
Do you soak the Amaranth first? I just bought some for the first time and so I’m not sure how to prepare it, but I remember reading somewhere that it should maybe be soaked first… what do you do?
Jessi, for this recipe you don’t have to soak it before! Good luck – hope you enjoy it 🙂
Is amaranth okay to eat cooled or room temperature?
Do you have to cook amaranth? I have been doing steel cut oats soaked overnight in almond milk with fruit and coconut. Could I sneak some uncooked amaranth in to soak with the rest?
Amaranth can be popped like corn, but we think it is best cooked. To know for sure, why don’t you try sneaking it a little amaranth next time and see what happens.
Hi there! are you using amaranth flour or whole amaranth seeds?
Thank you.
amaranth seeds!