Amaranth!

Last night I found myself standing in the bulk foods section of my second favorite grocery store- looking at two big and empty canisters where the quinoa once was.  All that was left were a few teenie tiny little lonely bits.  I felt lost and confused.

I am currently on day two of this cleanse which involves cutting out gluten, dairy, refined sugar, and alcohol, among other things.  The list of "approved" foods is a bit contradictory, but I'm trying to stick to it as much as possible.  Quinoa is one of my approved foods.  Quinoa was the entire reason why I had walked to the grocery store in the first place.  Quinoa was causing me a bit too much grief and heartache for being so tiny.

Luckily, thankfully, wonderfully- the amaranth bin was nearly full to the brim.  Amaranth is nutritionally quite similar to quinoa, and has many of its own unique nutritional benefits as well.

While looking up recipes for using amaranth I came up with quite a few gems.  Some of these I will have to adapt if I want to enjoy them during my cleanse, but otherwise I'd consider them fair game.

- Chocoalte Amaranth Quinoa Cake makes me think that I could give up gluten forever.


- Popped Amaranth Granola is made with cashews, coconut, and honey, and although this rendition includes oats, butter, and sugar- I may make a few adaptations so I can enjoy it this week.  YUM.

- Amaranth, Quinoa and Corn Chowder sounds so, so good.

- Popped Amaranth Cereal with Sesame Seeds and Crystallized Ginger is another popped amaranth breakfast recipe that caught my eye.  These cereal recipes are actually perfect, as I've been trying to wean myself off of the boxed junk.

- Black Beans with Amaranth actually uses fresh amaranth leaves, which I don't have access to- but it's one of those recipes that seems to be worth holding on to.

Any favorite amaranth or quinoa recipes to share?  Any ideas on where to find fresh amaranth leaves in Seattle?