Amaranth Cereal

Hey everyone. Sorry I havn't been around for a while. I've had the stomach flu for the past week, and as most of you know, throwing up and writing about food are not a good combo. I couldn't even watch the food network. Yeah. That's bad. I'm still under the weather, but at least the stomach part is over. Thank goodness.

Now back to our normal broadcasting schedule.

When my family went gluten free something we quickly came to realize is how messed up most peoples diet is. At least half of Americans go a full year without eating a single whole grain. How shocking is that?! When I first heard that statistic it really made me think. If you dissect the average persons diet you can really see the where the problem areas are.

The average Americans diet:

Breakfast:
Coffee or mixed, blended coffee-like drink
Cereal (bleached, dyed, sweetened, and then "enriched")
Pastry ( sugary, buttery, and doused with preservatives)

Lunch:
Fast Food (fat chance of finding a whole grain there)
School Cafeteria food (deep fried, soaking in ketchup, french fries counting as a vegetable)

Dinner:
Fast Food (deep fried, depleted, with 23 different ingredients)
Restaurant Food ( Containing the same amount of calories you should have for your whole day)
A frozen dinner ( seriously? No whole grains unless you specifically are looking for them)

There you go. Not a whole grain in sight. Unfortunately, with some people who go gluten free it sometimes is not a lot better. White rice flour is not a whole grain. When we went gluten free, my family and I decided we were going to try to eat as healthy as possible. As part of this endeavor, we decided to add whole grains into our life as much as we can. Here are a couple of ways to incorporate whole grains into your life:

• When eating pasta try quinoa, brown rice or flax pasta instead of white.
• Instead of white rice try brown rice or quinoa as a side.
• Try puffed whole grain cereals like Arrowhead Mills Puffed Millet.
• Buy a bread machine and make your own gluten free bread with millet, amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat flours.

One of my favorite whole grain foods is Amaranth cereal. Amaranth seeds, like buckwheat and quinoa, contain a complete set of amino acids. Its seeds have a protein content greater than that of wheat. Several studies have shown that like oats, amaranth seed or benefits those with hypertension and cardiovascular disease; regular consumption reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels. I personally think this is awesome. I love cooking amaranth for a breakfast cereal similar to cream of wheat.

Amaranth Cereal

2 c. Whole Amaranth grain
6 c. water
dash salt

1. Add all ingredients to pan, cover and bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook for 25 or until the consistency that you like.

WARNING: When lifting the lid to check thickness watch out for amaranth popping. When a semi-solid substance boils it tends to pop you with boiling hot amaranth cereal that burns your flesh. Be careful.

My mom likes to eat this cereal sweetened with splenda. Pureed prunes also taste really good too. I know weird, but good.

For more recipes check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.