Teff Hot Cereal (gluten free)

Life continues to move along. We just got back from a trip to Florida. I have never been there before. We had a great time and enjoyed lots of water and sunshine. My favorite part was being with my husband. 

I continue to love having hot cereal for breakfast. It is fun to experiment and try new ones. This is a wonderful one loaded with nutrition. Look here to see some of the benefits to added Teff to your diet. This made a great breakfast. I get a wonderful satisfied feeling when I have a nice hot breakfast. It is a great way to start your day. I think I am going to make some for a snack. It is making me want some looking at the pictures. 

Here is something fun to watch to brighten up your weekend. Here cares about each one of us. 

Ingredients

1/2 C cashew milk or milk of your choosing

1 C water

1/2 T coconut oil

1 T honey or other sweetener 

1/2 C Bob's Red Mill Teff

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 C raisins optional

top with

additional milk

Directions   Serves 2

1. Put a medium saucepan pan on the stove and turn to medium heat. Pour in milk, water, oil and honey. Let it heat up a couple minutes.

2. Stir in the Teff until all combined. Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins. Let the mixture come to a boil

3. Turn down the heat to medium low and cover. Let cook for 15 to 20 min. Stirring often. 

4. Pour into bowls and top with milk if desired. It warm. 

*You could make it the night before and store in an airtight container in the fridge and heat up in the morning. 

Bob's Red Mill Oat Bran Hot Cereal

It is always fun for me to discover a new hot cereal. Hot cereal is one of my favorite ways to start the morning. I found Bob's Red Mill High Fiber Oat Bran Hot Cereal. It is loaded with fiber 7 grams of per serving. It also has 7 grams of protein. I made it this morning for breakfast and it was delicious. It has a slight nutty and wonderful texture to it. It left me with a very satisfied feeling. It is a great way to start your day. Yum! This is also a great cereal to sprinkle on top of foods to add fiber it would be a great addition to greek yogurt. I also made bran muffins out of it.

Ingredients

2 Cups  water

pinch of salt

2/3 Cups Bob's Red Mill Oat Bran hot cereal

2 tsp coconut oil

2 tsp honey or other sweetener 

1/4 tsp nutmeg*

1/2 tsp cinnamon*

1 handful of raisins 

cashew or other milk to drizzle on top

sprinkle additional spices on top if desired

*other optional toppings dried fruit, dates, nuts etc..

Directions     serves 2

1. Put saucepan on medium high heat add water and salt. Bring to boil. Stir in cereal slowly.

2. Turn down to medium low heat. Stir in oil, honey, spices, and raisins. Let it continue to cook for 3 minutes. Stirring often. 

3. Take off the heat and pour into bowls. Drizzle milk and some spices on top and devour. 

*I love to use fresh cinnamon and nutmeg and grate it with my zester. 

Toasted Quinoa with Dried Fruit and Nuts

I love looking at pictures of hot cereal. I was doing it the other day and it made me hungry and I wanted to eat all of them. I love hot cereal. It warms me up on cold days and leaves me with a very satisfied feeling. Hot cereal can be eaten anytime of the day but it is usually eaten in the morning. It reminds me of a beginning of a new day and new things to accomplish. Morning is my favorite time of the day. This cereal is delicious. The added fruit and nuts is a great addition. The great thing is it is so healthy Yum!

Ingredients

1/2 C washed quinoa
1 T coconut oil
1 C almond milk
1/2 C water
1 T honey or another sweetener of your choice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
 garnish with dried berries, cherries or pomegranates o a mixture of all of them
sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
extra milk for on top if desired


Directions serves 2

1. Heat a small sauce pan on medium heat.
2. Pour in quinoa
and oil and stir and toast a couple minutes
3. Pour in milk, water, honey and cinnamon.
4. Let mixture come to a low boil. Turn down the heat to low and let cook about 20 min or until liquid is absorbed.
5. Serve into bowls and pour dried fruit and nuts on top. Pour on a little more milk if desired. Serve.
6. Store leftovers in the fridge in air tight container.

Buckwheat Hot Cereal

I enjoy eating hot cereal all year long. It is especially nice as the mornings are becoming cooler around here. I had this cereal this morning. It left me with a wonderful satisfied feeling. The feeling you get when you eat something really healthy and good. The fresh peach I ate with it made a delicious combination. So eat it with your favorite fruit cut up. I love the texture of buckwheat too. This would make a wonderful afternoon snack as well.


Ingredients

1/3 C buckwheat groats rinsed well
2 C water
1/2 almond milk
1 T honey
1 T coconut oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
fresh fruit cut up
almond milk for on top

Directions        Serves 2

1. Pour water and buckwheat in a small saucepan. Let it come to a full boil on medium high heat. Stir and let boil a few minutes.
2. Turn down the heat to medium low and stir in milk, honey, oil, and cinnamon. Let it cook a few minutes.
3. Turn down to low and let simmer for 5 to 10 min. Until the liquid gets absorbed.
4. Pour in bowls and serve with cut up fruit and pour on some milk on top if desired. Yum! Great way to start the day. :)

Amaranth Porridge

It is wonderful to eat a variety of grains. It is good to enjoy the benefits of all the different grains. Here is the great benefits of amaranth. I love having texture in my cereal. This is a great addition to your diet. You can go to health food stores and buy it in the bulk section and try it out.

Ingredients

1/3 C amaranth
1 C water
3/4 almond milk or milk of your choice
2 tsp honey or sweetener of your choice
topping options: milk, cinnamon, fruit

Directions  serves 1-2

1. Pour the amaranth into a sauce pan that is on medium heat. Stir and let it heat up. You will start hearing it pop in a couple minutes. Stir a couple minutes until it is all toasted.
2. Pour in the water and let it come to a low boil. Then stir in the milk and honey. Turn on medium low heat and let it cook about 30 min. until the liquid gets absorbed and it thickens.
3. Serve in bowl with milk and fruit on top of it.

Amaranth and Quinoa Hot Cereal and Amaranth Information

I have been having fun eating hot cereal this week. I have had it for lunch twice this week. The cool thing is it doesn't have to be for breakfast only, it could be for lunch or dinner too. Today I pulled out my amaranth which I haven't used for a while. Amaranth is loaded with lots of good nutrition. It made a wonderful cereal combined with quinoa. I loved it with cooked apples on top it added a nice flavor combination.

Ingredients: Serves 2

3 T quinoa

3 T amaranth

1 C water

1 T coconut oil

1 T honey or sweetener of choice

1/3 C milk of your choice (You can add more milk if you want less texture)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg

fruit for topping: cooked apples or your choice of fruit.

unsweetened coconut flakes (sprinkled on top)

1. Toast Quinoa and Amaranth in a saucepan for about 3-5 min. (You should smell a nice aroma.) Be careful not to let it burn. Pour in the water and let it come to a boil. Add coconut oil. Turn down the heat to low. Let simmer for about 30 min.utes with a the lid on.

2. Take off the lid. Stir in the milk and spices you desire. Cook another 3 to 5min.

3. Pour into a bowl and sprinkle on coconut, fruit and more milk if desired. You can also sprinkle on some more cinnamon.

4. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. It can make a great breakfast for when you are in a hurry.

Amaranth

Amaranth has been around for 500 years. It is a seed.

1/2 C of amaranth contains

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1/2 cup
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 57 Calories 365
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 6.35g		10%
	Saturated Fat 1.62g	8%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 2.819g
	Monounsaturated Fat 1.397g
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 20mg		1%
Potassium 357mg
Total Carbohydrate 64.52g		22%
	Dietary Fiber 9.1g	36%
	Sugars -
Protein 14.09g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 7%
Calcium 15% Iron 41%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Nutrition Values are based on USDA Nutrient Database SR18

Nutrition Info from: fat secret.com

It is gluten free.

Ways to use Amarnth:

Amaranth can be used as a flour or popped. As a flour you can use it to thicken a sauce or for cooking/baking. It also makes a great breakfast cereal. It is a nice light flour with a slightly nutty taste.

A fun thing you can do with amaranth is pop it. You pour it into a deep pan without any oil. Just heat the pot on med. high heat. Prior to putting in the amaranth, pour a pinch into the pot. If it starts to pop it is ready. Cook about 2 to 3 T at a time. If you cook more than that at one time it will burn. 1/4 C of amaranth yields 1 C of amaranth. Popped amaranth can give bread a lighter texture. It is wonderful in cookies, breads, hot cereal, and salads.

You can sprinkle popped amaranth on a spinach salad or hot cereal... Or ? You can come up with your own ideas. Sprinkling on food is an easy way to add nutrition to your dish. :)

Some more recipes: I have used amaranth in:

http://graincrazy.blogspot.com/2013/03/amaranth-and-teff-hot-cereal.html

http://graincrazy.blogspot.com/2010/07/9-grain-bread.html

http://graincrazy.blogspot.com/2011/04/multigrain-strawberry-banana-muffins.html

http://graincrazy.blogspot.com/2011/05/buckwheat-oatmeal-and-amaranth-cereal.html

http://graincrazy.blogspot.com/2011/07/nutmeg-and-quinoa-amaranth-and.html

Quinoa Buckwheat Oatmeal Hot Cereal

It was a really nice weekend with my family. It brings me a lot of joy having my family gathered around me. It is my birthday week so my family made me a delicious dinner yesterday. I loved seeing them in the kitchen all working together. Family times are the best.

Today looks like a beautiful Spring day. Hooray! I love the sunshine and blue sky. It is going to be a great week. Happy Monday!

I have determined that hot cereal is one of my favorite breakfasts. I love the way I feel after eating it and I love the way it tastes. It is a great way to start your day. Here is one that I made yesterday. My family enjoyed it yesterday with me. My daughter even came back for seconds. 

Ingredients
1 C toasted quinoa (well rinsed)
1/2 C buckwheat
1/2 C old fashioned oatmeal
2 C water
1 C vanilla unsweetened almond milk
2 T honey (or sweetener of choice)
1 T coconut oil
Toppings nutmeg and cinnamon* to taste
Cut up fruit I used peaches
Additional almond milk for on top

Directions serves about 4
1. In a medium saucepan heat up quinoa and let it toast for a few minutes on med heat. Stirring it frequently.
2. Then add the buckwheat, oatmeal, water, milk, honey, and oil. Let the mixture come to a boil and then let it boil a couple minutes. Turn  down to low and cover. Let it cook for around 20 minutes. Stir it occasionally. Add additional water if needed.
3. When it gets to your desired consistency ( I like to leave some texture to mine) take off the heat and scoop  into bowls.
4. Sprinkle on the spices and put on the cut up fruit if desired. I like cutting up the peaches in small bites so I get them in every mouthful. :) Pour on some extra milk if desired.
5. Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for a couple of days. Enjoy!

* I like to grate whole nutmeg and cinnamon sticks. It tastes a lot fresher.

Amaranth and Oatmeal Hot Cereal with Peaches

Amaranth and Oatmeal

 I woke up to snow this morning. It hasn't melted over the grass for several weeks. We just haven't had new snow lately. It is one of those days it is nice to be home for. I enjoy snow more when I look out my window and am in my nice warm home as opposed to driving in it. 

So it was a nice day to have a nice bowl of hot cereal. It sends warmth and goodness through my body. I love throwing some fruit on top as well. The nutmeg and cinnamon were a nice addition. I have found that if I make a large amount I can store the leftovers in the fridge and it is ready to go in the morning. For a quick breakfast.  

Ingredients

3 C water
1 1/4 C old fashioned oatmeal 
1/4 C amaranth (You could toast it ahead for extra flavor)
frozen peaches (thawed)
cinnamon sticks and whole nutmeg (grated on top with a zester or powdered spices)
1/2 tsp honey (if desired per bowl)
almond milk  (poured over on top)

Directions

1. Boil the water on high heat.
2. Stir in the oatemeal and amranth while water is boiling. Let it boil a couple of minutes. Turn down the heat to low. Place the lid on top. Cook until it reaches your desired consistency. In about 5 to 10 min.
3. Put on your favorite toppings.  Enjoy a great way to start your day. Store the remainder in an airtight container.

Quinoa and Teff Hot Cereal

I am in love with hot cereal lately. It just is wonderful to eat something warm in the morning. The spices added to it our wonderful too. It makes a great snack as well as a meal.  :)  I made this today and loved it. It is great way to start off your day !

Ingredients:
1 C Quinoa
1/2 C Teff
2 T coconut oil
2 C milk
1/2 C water
1 to 2 T honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Currants or raisins or other fruit for the top

Directions:

1. Wash off quinoa in a strainer. Heat up a saucepan on medium heat and pour in quinoa and teff. Heat until the quinoa turns lightly brown just to toast it a little.

2. Then stir in oil, milk, water honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Let it come to a boil. Cover and turn down the heat to low. Cook for about 20 min. Until the liquid gets absorbed and the grained gets softened. 

3. Pour in a bowl. Top with fruit and a little milk if desired. Yum!     

Creamy Spelt Berry Oatmeal Cereal

Here is another great breakfast meal to try. This hot cereal tasted so good. It is a nice hardy cereal. Loaded with a lot of great whole grains. It is a great way to start out your day. I felt really satisfied after eating it.
I loved all the texture in it. It had a wonderful creaminess to it too. The great thing is we ate leftovers this morning that tasted great. It would make a great afternoon snack as well.

Ingredients: Serves 4
2 C milk (of your choice)
1 1/4 C old fashioned oatmeal
3 T ground flax *optional
1 to 2 T coconut oil (adds a nice creamy texture)
1/2 C raisins
1 1/4 C Spelt berries (You could use wheat or kamut)
2-3 T honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger * optional
topping ideas: freshly grated nutmeg, unsweetened coconut, dried cranberries, chopped nuts.

Directions:
1. In a saucepan bring the milk to a boil. Then stir in oats, oil and raisins. Turn down heat to low, cover with lid and let simmer 3 min.
2. Stir in cooked spelt berries, honey and spices, and cook for about 1 min. Till completly warm.
3. Top with your favorite topping. I poured a little milk on top too. Enjoy!