I gravitate towards the savory breakfast, even to the point of eating leftover dinner in place of waffles, pancakes, or sweet porridges. However, sometimes my sweet tooth gets the best of me. Luckily, I can make a mean bowl of breakfast porridge and amaranth is one of the ways to my sweet-breakfast heart.
I absolutely adore amaranth for both the grain and in floral arrangements. When growing, it’s colorful and definitely and eye-catching addition. Yet, the grain, in terms of cooking, doesn’t quite get the same love.
Amaranth takes a little know-how. It’s similar to quinoa in that it’s actually a pseudo-grain or better known as a seed. It does not, however, cook up like quinoa. Amaranth, if cooked like any other grain, becomes a bit gummy.
Amaranth has a higher level of amylopectin, a main component of starch. This component creates a slightly more gelatinous texture to the cooked grain; think sushi rice versus long-grain rice. The creamy feel of cooked amaranth lends itself well to porridges and polentas. There are ways to use amaranth in more traditional grain ways, it just takes an extra step.
I try and stick with only fruits and vegetables I can source locally but I occasionally love a good banana dish. It also helps that we almost always have bananas around thanks to a child who had a mild obsession with them for some time.
Of course, if you wanted to stick to something you could buy at the farmers market, try peaches, apples, or pears. I like all of these options for cooking in the butter/sugar mixture. You could also just load this amaranth porridge with fresh berries and call it good.
This one is easy. I actually prefer this porridge with non-dairy milk such as almond or oat. Same goes for the cream on top. As for the butter, you could use coconut oil or my friend Emma recently introduced me to Miyoko’s vegan butter. It’s actually really good and a solid 1:1 for dairy butter.
[tasty-recipe id="37982"]
The post Amaranth Porridge with Caramelized Bananas and Pecans appeared first on Naturally..
I can’t do strict diets. They inspire an otherwise absent rebellious streak in me and I go headlong into a sugar spiral. I remember trying the master cleanse many years ago, fully stocked on all the...
Please visit Sprouted Kitchen to view this Recipe.
I wish I had a sexier name for this dish but when you start combining things into a dish that really doesn’t have a name like ‘taco’ or ‘grain bowl’, a name with all the ingredients is the best I can do. However, it's delicious. We've eaten it as a side but I've also been known to call a dish like this lunch.
When spring produce enters into my life, I take it as a reminder that not everything requires roasting. Sure, roasted vegetables are amazing but sometimes other techniques are worthwhile. I feel like steaming gets a bad rap, most likely due to diet trends, but it’s a valuable tool in your cooking arsenal.
Take for example these beets. Chioggia beets are beautiful. Their color, though, doesn’t hold once cooking. If you roast these beautiful beets, the color fades pretty drastically (unless you roast them whole but I’m not always willing to wait the hour it takes.) Enter: steaming.
Steaming these beets takes 10 minutes and while the color still fades slightly, it’s there in all it’s beautiful pink glory. Best of all, steaming the beets leaves room to make crispy garlic in ghee: a real treat for all.
I’m a big proponent that every dish should have a little crispiness to it. In this dish, the sunflower seeds are nice but my favorite crisp comes in the form of pan-fried garlic. The ghee crisps the garlic nicely all while adding that delicious ghee flavor.
If you want to keep this vegan, olive oil can get the job done as well. The flavor changes slightly but the garlic is still delicious (because it’s still garlic!)
Finally, the bean puree. I love piling vegetable high atop a creamy puree. There’s something so satisfying when you scoop everything together off the plate- it mixes into the perfect bite. I kept this bean puree simple and very spring forward with the help of dill. Of course, you could really use any herb. Try parsley, marjoram, and/or a bit of thyme. Also, if you don't have white beans go for chickpeas.
[tasty-recipe id="37991"]
The post Garlicky Beets with Dill Bean Puree appeared first on Naturally..
