Amaranth with Tomato, Basil, and Mushrooms
This recipe has an Italian twist to it. It’s rich, full flavor is very satisfying, and really holds you over till the next meal. You can use this as a side dish, but because amaranth is a complete protein, I serve this as the main dish. I like to add 1/4 cup nuts to round out the protein, and give a nice crunch. The first time I served this to my husband, he exclaimed “This is so good! A great meal!”, and helped himself to two more servings!
Ingredients
- 1 cup amaranth seed soaked and sprouted (optional)
- 2 ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 4 cups amaranth leaves, lamb’s quarter leaves or spinach leaves
- 1 - 2 tomatoes ripe
- 1 (15 ½ oz) can diced tomatoes (with garlic, oregano, and onion seasoning)
- ½ lb mushrooms sliced
- ¼ - ½ cup cashews or pine nuts
- 1 ½ tsp basil (5-6 leaves fresh)
- 1 ½ tsp thyme (2 sprigs fresh)
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- ½ small onion
- 1 large or 2 medium cloves garlic crushed
Instructions
- Soak amaranth overnight. Drain and rinse 2-3 times throughout the day, (1-3 days). Soaking helps digestion, and enhances absorption, Sprouting increases nutrition tremendously. You can ignore this step and just cook amaranth without soaking.
- Add amaranth to boiling water, bring back to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes, tell liquid absorbed, and grain tender. Be careful not to let it burn.
- Meanwhile, stem and wash greens. In hot coconut oil saute onions, garlic and spices, in that order. Add vegetables, including canned tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes until liquid mostly absorbed and flavors meld. Add nuts and toss.
- Add cooked amaranth to sauce and mix well until hot. Serve and enjoy!