Amaranth

This is an amazing food that I wish I had discovered long ago. I have been making it as a breakfast cereal to vary my morning options (oatmeal got boring).

How to make it:
Put 1/2 cup amaranth in 1 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
5 minutes before it's done, add in chopped apple, raisins or other dried fruit, and nuts.

I've also had it with frozen blueberries. Both ways are delicious, and it seems like the possibilities are endless. Cinnamon, ginger...you name it. Cooking it for 20 minutes may seem long, but I just wake up, start the amaranth, get dressed and such, and then eat.

Anyway, the really cool thing is that amaranth is SO healthy. Although the dairy industry has convinced us that milk is the only way to get calcium, and the meat industry has convinced us that meat is the only source of iron, amaranth perseveres!

1 cup of amaranth has:
Protein: 9 g
Calcium: 12% DV
Iron: 29% DV
Dietary Fiber: 21% DV
Calories: 251
Fat: 4 g
Cholesterol: 0

(% DV is percent daily value)

Also, adding fruit or drinking a glass of juice with amaranth will ensure that you get its iron. Apparently vitamin C helps our bodies absorb iron. So the cultural norm of drinking orange juice in the morning with our (hopefully-iron-rich) breakfast actually exists for a reason.

In response to questions from people who have never heard of amaranth, my co-op has it in bulk. So maybe try looking there first, and don't let an expensive package at the fine grocery store trick you.