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Amaranth is unrefined because it isn't being cut up and only used for certain sections of the grain.

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What does 1 ounce of Amaranth look like?

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What does 1 ounce of Amaranth look like?

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One ounce of amaranth looks pretty close to a cup.

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Fun Facts:/ What it provides for your body?

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Fun Facts:/ What it provides for your body?

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Can be popped like popcorn and eaten.

Can be boiled and put into a salad or cereal.

Could grind it and put into baking goods.

Very high in protein.

More fiber than in any other gluten free grain.

Easy to digest.

Could reduce bad cholesterol.

Includes many minerals and vitamins.

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People from: Asia, India, and China are most known to use this leafy green grain.

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This ancient grain of the Aztecs has been rediscovered by Westerners, although you'll probably need to visit a health-food store or check an on-line source to find it. It has a distinctive sweet but peppery taste -- one that many people prefer combined with other grains, for a more mellow flavor. Technically, it's not a grain; it's the fruit of a plant. And that's the reason it contains a more complete protein, and more of it, than other traditional grains.

Meeting your daily protein needs with complex carbohydrates, rather than animal protein, is both healthier for you and a boon to your weight-loss efforts. That's because animal protein often comes packaged with fat and cholesterol -- two dietary components that you want to consume less.

Protein foods also help to slow down the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. This in turn reduces hunger by reducing insulin levels and making it easier for the body to burn fat.

For something new, different, and highly nutritious in your diet, try amaranth and have some fun experimenting and discovering your favorite ways to use it.

Health Benefits

Even when just a little is included in a recipe, the benefit is worth it. For anyone cutting down on meat, amaranth offers a bonanza of near-complete protein. It's not as low in the amino acid lysine, as many other grains are. It is also much richer in iron, magnesium, and calcium than most grains, so it can help keep anemia and osteoporosis at bay. It excels as a source of fiber, mostly insoluble, which is of help in reducing the risk of a variety of diseases, including heart disease, certain cancers and digestive-tract conditions.

Selection and Storage

Amaranth is a tiny, yellow grain. It can be bought as a whole grain ("pearled" amaranth), as a flour, or as rolled flakes. It's also found as an ingredient in cereals and crackers. Expect to pay more for it; amaranth is not widely grown and is difficult to harvest, so it is more expensive than other grains. But, remember, you get a lot of nutritional bang for your buck. Keep amaranth in a tightly closed container to prevent insect infestation. And store in a cool, dry location to prevent healthy fats in it from turning rancid.

Preparation and Serving Tips

This versatile grain can be cooked in liquids and eaten as a porridge or pilaf. It can even be popped like corn. But because of its strong flavor, you may like it best combined with other grains. For baking, amaranth flour must be combined with another flour, such as wheat, because it contains no gluten by itself.

To cook: Cook one cup of grains in three cups of water (yield: three cups). Bring to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes. The final consistency will be thick, like porridge. If you want to cook it with another grain, such as oatmeal or rice, just substitute amaranth for about a quarter of the other grain, then cook as you would for that grain.

To pop: Stir a tablespoon at a time over high heat, in an ungreased covered skillet, until the grain pops, like corn. This can be used as a breading for fish or chicken or to top salads and soups.

You and your family can enjoy many different foods made from amaranth. In some countries, amaranth is even made into sweets. This plant is easy to grow, is pretty to look at, and you can use it to make many delicious and nutritious foods. Amaranth is an ancient food, and with all these qualities it is sure to be a valued crop for many future generations of people watching their weight.
©Publications International, Ltd.

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This ancient grain of the Aztecs has been rediscovered by Westerners, although you'll probably need to visit a health-food store or check an on-line source to find it. It has a distinctive sweet but peppery taste -- one that many people prefer combined with other grains, for a more mellow flavor.

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1. Gluten Free.

2. 26 grams of protein per cup

3. You can eat many parts of the plan, not just the seeds.

4. Can turn into popcorn

5. 13 grams of fiber

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Happy Friday friends!

I was up early this morning and went for a swim in the near-by ocean pool - the water was so warm and lovely! After the swim I had a quick green juice of kale, celery, cucumber and lime and then headed to the markets. I was in for a treat this time, as one of the stalls was selling some gorgeous fresh ! Normally I would use amaranth seeds like quinoa or millet, but fresh amaranth can be used as a whole in salads and stir-fries, in much same way like spinach. Truth be told I prefer the whole amaranth to just the seeds, there is just so much flavour in the actual plant. It can be a bit of a rare treat to find fresh amaranth, but if you do, please make sure to buy and try some!

This simple lunch salad doesn't need any fancy'ing up. The amaranth is the main player here and other ingredients mere onlookers. A handful of left-over quinoa, some toasted walnuts and shallots with a little lime juice and olive oil drizzled on top is all you need.

fresh amaranth, washed and florets and leaves cut off

tiny pinch of good quality salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the amaranth. Cook for just a couple of minutes, then add the shallot, quinoa, toasted walnuts and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

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Happy Friday friends! I was up early this morning and went for a swim in the near-by ocean pool - the water was so warm and lovely! After the swim I had a quick green juice of kale, celery, cucumber and lime and then headed to the markets.

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Amaranth grows best in rich soils and can grow up to 8 feet. They prefer a warm climate that contains full sun also well drained soil.

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Honeyed Grapefruit Yogurt Parfait with Popped Amaranth- 

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Honeyed Grapefruit Yogurt Parfait with Popped Amaranth- 

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Sometimes I like to trick my senses into thinking we're experiencing warmer, more spring-like mornings than we really are in Seattle. Case in point: this pretty, delicate breakfast recipe that's perfectly-balanced with creamy yogurt, toasty coconut, crunchy amaranth and sweet honey.

After working on my cookbook, Whole Grain Mornings: New Breakfast Recipes to Span the Seasons (Ten Speed Press, December 2013) for about a year now, I am fully, 100% immersed in whole grain breakfast recipes. So while the manuscript is finished and we're in the heart of the editing process, I'm constantly thinking up recipes I wish we could still squeeze in there. This is one such recipe.

If you're not familiar with amaranth, it's often called a pseudograin because it's actually the seed of an herb. While it's tiny in stature, it's a great source of complete protein and amino acids. I almost always toast it before using it because I like the crunch and the nutty flavor it develops in the hot pan - if you find yourself in a granola or muesli rut, popped amaranth is your answer! For this recipe, I use plain yogurt because then I can control the level of sweetness with the honey, but if you prefer a vanilla yogurt (or another favorite flavor), feel free to use that instead.

To put these together, I use ball jars largely because we have a million around the pantry, but also I like to see the layers of color and texture - they make a real showing in that way.

And while it initially seems there are quite a few steps, you can actually toast the coconut, pop the amaranth, and segment and refrigerate the grapefruit ahead of time so that this easily becomes a quick weekday recipe. It's also a winner for weekend brunches or special occasion breakfasts because it's so pretty. I'll tell you one thing: it's an instant morning mood-lifter as we sit waiting patiently for spring.

Honeyed Grapefruit Yogurt Parfait with Popped Amaranth

1/2 cup wide-flake unsweetened coconut
1 grapefruit
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup raw amaranth
4 teaspoons honey

Preheat the oven to 350°F and toast the coconut until golden brown and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.

To segment the grapefruit, trim off the top and bottom of the grapefruit so each end is flat. Place the edge of a sharp knife just inside the border where the pith meets the pulp and slice down and out, following the shape of the fruit. Repeat until the grapefruit is peeled. Then gently cut the segments of fruit with a sharp knife by slicing towards the core as close as possible to the membranes that separate the segments. Set segments aside.

To toast the amaranth, pour the dry grains (don't rinse) into a dry pan. Use a taller pan than you think you need as they have a real tendency to jump as they pop. Set the pan over medium-high heat until they gently pop, usually about 3 to 5 minutes.The grains won't grow in size, but they'll turn white like tiny beads of popcorn. Because of their small size, they can burn quickly so be sure to watch the pan closely. It's inevitable that not every single grain will pop. If you wait for them to do so, you'll likely burn the brunt of them, so if most of them have popped and some remain golden brown, call it quits and pull the pan off the heat. They'll be crunchy and delightful regardless.

To assemble parfaits, find two glasses that you particularly like - we use ball canning jars. Spoon 1/4 cup yogurt into the bottom of each class. Top with a few segments grapefruit, 1 tablespoon popped amaranth, 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted coconut and 1 teaspoon honey. Repeat to create another layer. I usually have a few slices grapefruit left at the very end, so I top each with the extras and sprinkle the remaining coconut on top. Enjoy soon after assembly. Don't assemble parfaits until ready to enjoy as the amaranth will get soggy if it sits amongst the yogurt and honey for too long.

Related: Easy and Elegant Brunch Dish: Yogurt Parfait
For more whole grain breakfast recipes much like this one, my cookbook, "Whole Grain Mornings: New Breakfast Recipes to Span the Seasons" (Ten Speed Press, 2013) will be out next December. Follow my weekly blog, A Sweet Spoonful, for book updates and a slew of additional whole grain breakfast (and beyond) recipes. (Images: Megan Gordon)

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Recipe: Honeyed Grapefruit Yogurt Parfait with Popped Amaranth

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Sometimes I like to trick my senses into thinking we're experiencing warmer, more spring-like mornings than we really are in Seattle. Case in point: this pretty, delicate breakfast recipe that's perfectly-balanced with creamy yogurt, toasty coconut, crunchy amaranth and sweet honey.

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Amaranth is a whole grain. It can be popped like popcorn, or made into a flour and is in many whole grain cereals.

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http://www.heirloom-organics.com/guide/va/guidetogrowingamaranth.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/03/26/benefits-of-amaranth_n_5036060.html

http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/amaranth-plant.html

http://www.nuts.com/cookingbaking/grains/amaranth/organic.html

http://feedmephoebe.com/2014/01/amaranth-recipes-breakfast-porridge-blueberry-compote/