Amaranth Hot Cereal

This recipe makes 2 servings.

The evening before, soak 1/2 cup amaranth in a bowl of water.

In the morning, rinse the amaranth well in a fine-mesh strainer with cool water.  Transfer to a small saucepan and add 1 cup of water and a small pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.  Stir and serve!

I like this best with a splash of milk, a sliced banana and some frozen berries.  YUM!

Note:  Cooked amaranth DOES have a slight crunch to it...it does not mean the grain isn't cooked.

Amaranth is high in protein and contains large amounts of dietary fiber, iron, and calcium as well as other vitamins and minerals.

Amaranth, available at Amazon.com.

Amaranth also has naturally high amounts of lysine, methionine and cysteine combined with a balance of amino acids. These grains are round and tiny, smaller than mustard seeds. gold in color with flecks of black. It has a crunchy texture and is very chewy.

Quinoa Turkey Chili

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
3 1/2 cups water, divided
1 lb ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 TB chili powder
1 TB cumin (I used a tad less)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cans black beans, rinsed
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 zucchini, chopped
1 chipoltle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 TB adobo sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
s&p
1 cup frozen corn

1. In a large saucepan, bring quinoa and 2 cups water to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and set aside.

2. In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook turkey, onion, red pepper and garlic over medium heat until turkey is cooked.  Stir in chili powder, cumin and cinnamon and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add beans, tomatoes, zucchini, pepper, adobo sauce, bay leaf, oregano, s&p and remaining water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Stir in corn and quinoa, and heat through.  Discard bay leaf and serve.

Baby Cereal: Millet

Millet is a highly nutritious, easy-to-digest grain not likely to cause an allergy. It's also high in iron. This recipe was created for babies 6 to 8 months old. It will make 1 cup.

 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons millet
1 cup water
Breast milk or formula as needed

Preparation

1. Blend millet 1 to 2 minutes or until it resembles fine flour. (I used my nutrimill)
2. Pour water into pan and stir in millet. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Remove from heat and let cool, stirring a few more times.
4. Add breast milk or formula as needed to achieve a smooth consistency.

Nutrient analysis per 2 tablespoons
22 calories
1 gram protein
Manganese 40%
Magnesium 10%
Vitamin B6 10%

Toasted Millet and Quinoa

Recipe from "The Real Food Daily Cookbook".

3/4 cup millet
1/2 cup quinoa
2 1/2 water
1/2 tsp sea salt

Rinse the millet well and drain.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the millet and stir constantly for about 5 minutes, until the moisture evaporates and the millet is dry and fragrant.  Transfer to a bowl.  Repeat process with quinoa.

Combine water and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add grains and return to a boil.  Turn down to med-low heat, cover and let cook for 25 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and serve.

***
LOVE these two grains combined like this!  I ate it alongside some sauteed zucchini, so delicious!  You could literally throw this into ANYTHING.  I mixed it into spaghetti tonight for my kids.  You could throw it into soups, rice, pasta, anything!  I like to just eat it alongside freshly cooked veggies.

Supergrain: Millet

My mom has been on a supergrain kick and has gotten me on board!  We have now bonded over our mutual love and excitement about MILLET!

Millet is most commonly used in North America as BIRDSEED!!  Go us!  But in Africa and Asia, it is a daily staple.  It is very healthy, chock full of important nutrients that our bodies need.

To learn more about the nutritional value of millet, click here.

To prepare, cook like rice.  Use a 3:1 ratio and simmer for 35 minutes.  Millet takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked with.  It can be added to soups, pasta, rice, etc without much notice.  I like to just cook up a cup of it to keep in the fridge.  Last night I stirred some into our plain white rice to boost the nutritional value.  My kids didn't even know it was there!  Love it!

Or if you'd like to try a yummy recipe that features millet, here is a great one!

HERB MILLET CASSEROLE
1 cup millet
2 TB oil
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tsp savory salt
1/2 tsp herb seasoning (basil, oregano, dill, rosemary, a combo of whatever you have or like!)
3 cups water

In a medium saucepan, lightly brown millet in oil.  Add carrots and celery.  Stirfry for 1 minute.  Add the salt, herbs and water.  Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 30 minutes or until millet is tender.