Amaranth

As promised, I had a go at cooking amaranth tonight. It comes out looking like tiny quinoa grains when cooked and has a slightly crunchy texture. Apparently overcooking it is not a good idea as it may go "gummy". It is quite easy to work with as it doesn't burn easily and cooks fairly quickly. Amaranth is one of few "grains" that contains complete proteins, i.e. all essential amino acids, and is therefore a useful item for a vegan pantry.

I tried a recipe from this site but, as is my wont, did not exactly follow it to the letter so the veggies were less sauce and more topping:

Amaranth with Spinach Tomato Mushroom Sauce
1 cup amaranth seed
2-12 cups water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch spinach (or young amaranth leaves if available)
2 ripe tomatoes, skinned and coarsely chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1-1/2 teaspoons basil
1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 clove of garlic minced
1 Tablespoon onion, minced
Sea salt and pepper to taste (or use a salt substitute)

Add amaranth to boiling water, bring back to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 18-20 minutes.

While amaranth is cooking, stem and wash spinach, then simmer until tender. Dip tomatoes into boiling water to loosen skin, then peel and chop. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and add garlic an onion. Sauté approximately 2 minutes. Add tomato, mushrooms, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of water. Drain and chop spinach and add to tomato mixture. Cook an addition 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lightly mash tomato as it is cooking.

Stir the sauce into the amaranth or spoon it on top.