I don't know if anyone has checked out the web site links on the right side of my blog, but I thought I would point out the AAOOB Foods web site. It has really interesting facts about grains, beans and so forth. Their home page has very loverly music that plays when you link to it. Woo Hoo! I usually mute the sound on my computer or click to another page on the website when I get tired of listening to it. Here's the link to their page about grains. (Sorry, no music on this page...)
I thought I would do a short synopsis of all the grains, but there's so much info on that web-site, I'm going to have to do one grain at a time. Here's the first one:
Amaranth
Interesting facts:
- Gluten free (yay!)
- Amaranth seeds are tan and about the size of poppy seeds.
- Mostly sold at health food stores.
- Grown for millennia by the Aztecs, Mayans and Incans who thought it had magical powers.
- More nutritious than wheat: much higher in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
- Cook before eating, cannot be digested well raw by humans or animals.
Uses:
- Amaranth flour makes good breads. 100% amaranth flour can be used in breads that don’t need to rise like muffins, pancakes, biscuits or crackers. It does not work well in yeast breads unless xanthan gum or some other binder is used.
- Cooked cereal can be made by boiling whole amaranth seeds.
- Popped like popcorn it adds crunchiness to granola, soup, salad or bread.
- Amaranth flour makes a good thickener for gravies and sauces.
- Sprouted amaranth can be eaten in salads.
Storage:
- Short Term Storage: Once container is opened, best stored in the refrigerator due to high levels of poly-unsaturated fats.
- Long Term Storage: Store in an air-tight container with an oxygen absorber to extend shelf-life. Amaranth has a hard outer shell, so it should store better than buckwheat or quinoa.
Finding out this information kind of excited me. I found out yesterday that my Grandpa Pratt (who died before I was born) was renowned for his buttermilk biscuits. Who knew? Maybe I'll have to break out my old 4-H biscuit recipe and try amaranth flour in it. If it works out I'll post it on my blog. If it doesn't, well, pretend like I never said anything about it, ok?
Another exciting thing is that I found this amaranth flour blend on another blog. I'm excited to try it! I wonder which will work better, the straight amaranth flour or the blend?
One last thing, here's a link to all the amaranth recipes on recipezaar. Just in case you want to be adventerous and try one!
I've actually tried just plain cooked amaranth like a cooked cereal. It's bland and sticky, it doesn't really give any flavor and anything you add to it - and you'll need to if you want to enjoy what you're eating - with take the main flavor.
ReplyDeleteI think that was my one and only time with it. It's tiny pinhead - tiny pinhead sized seeds. Millet made a better cooked cereal. But then if you're going to put milk and sugar with it, I'd have rice pudding. :)
Could you imagine having to grow it?
Yeah, amaranth is tiny. I can't imagine cultivating it! Teff, if you can believe it, is even smaller. It's grown in Ethiopia and its name means "lost" because the grains are so easy to lose. I can't imagine a grain that small! I tried to buy some teff at Wilds Oats a while back. They told me they'd have to special order it and the smallest amount I could get was a 50 pound bag!
ReplyDeleteSounds like amaranth is like tofu - not much of a flavor on its own, but picks up the flavors of the other things it is cooked with. I know how much you like tofu!
I made cooked cereal out of millet and was surprised by how much I liked it. The only problem I had with it was how long I had to cook it before it wasn't crunchy anymore. The recipe I was using said something like 25 minutes, but it took about 50 minutes. That's why I haven't made it again. Maybe I'll have to try it in the crockpot.