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Amaranth Breakfast Pudding

Breakfast. I think I’ve mentioned before that this is by far the hardest meal to figure out when you learn that you can’t have wheat, eggs, dairy, etc. But over the years, I have figured out a few solutions and this one is the latest.

Now that the weather is changing, I have been in the mood for a warmer breakfast. I did smoothies for a while, but I got over that after having them everyday for almost a year. Then, I switched to turkey bacon, brown rice, and spinach. That lasted all of a month before I was ready for some actual breakfast-y food again. So, for the last few months I have been eating brown rice cakes with almond butter and jelly and a piece of fruit almost every morning. It’s delicious, but it too has become tiresome and isn’t really sufficient now that fall is upon us.

I think the hardest part about breakfast with dietary restrictions is finding something that is not only filling but nutritious. Getting plenty of protein, vitamins and minerals is just as important (if not more) at breakfast time as it is in any other meal, so why is it that breakfast has become a sort of throw away meal where people feel that toaster pastries and frozen waffles are quality options?

Sure, I could eat cereal for breakfast but pulverized grains smooshed into a flake shape and doused in sugar isn’t really my idea of a healthy balanced meal. Besides, something warm is really what I want right now.

I tried oatmeal, but it just makes me want to fall asleep, and its just a bowl of carbohydrates anyway. So, I started to consider some other grains that I could use in a porridge-y fashion like oatmeal and that would provide me with a decent amount to protein as well. Because I am allergic to quinoa, I decided to give amaranth a shot.

Amaranth is technically the seed of the plant not a grain, so very few people have allergic reactions to it. It is also a complete protein source like quinoa and contains tons of fiber, iron, magnesium, and manganese.

It cooks up very similarly to oatmeal and you can decorate it in much the same way. I personally just dolled it up with some raisins, walnuts, coconut milk, ground flax, and a touch of agave nectar. But here are a few other ideas:

*Add 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and maple syrup for a pumpkin pie pudding.
*Stir in a few tablespoons each of almond butter and jelly.
*Saute some sliced apples with butter and cinnamon and stir them into the cooked amaranth along with a spoonful of good honey.
*For a savory twist, cook the amaranth in chicken stock or vegetable broth and stir in some spinach, sauteed mushrooms, and crumbled goat cheese towards the end of cooking.
*Toss in some hemp seeds, goji berries, chia seeds, raw cacao nibs, coconut butter, or any of your other favorite nutrient dense foods

AMARANTH BREAKFAST PUDDING
makes one serving
You can usually find amaranth in the bulk foods section of most well stocked grocery stores

1 cup water
1/2 cup amaranth
coconut, rice, or hemp milk, as needed

1. Bring water to a boil on the stove. Add the amaranth and turn heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
2. When the water has been absorbed, stir in enough milk to make it creamy and add all the fixins you’d like.

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