Amaranth is one of the best ingredients we can incorporate into our diet due to its exceptional nutritional profile. Rich in micronutrients and fiber, it’s a wonderfully versatile, nutty ancient grain that pairs perfectly with both savory and sweet flavors alike. Navigating cooking amaranth can be a bit tricky if you’ve never tried or heard of it, which is why we partnered with our friend and popular recipe developer Vilda Gonzalez to take you through an exploratory journey of this ancient grain in a delightful, accessible recipe!
Vilda Gonzalez is a chef, recipe developer, and creative. Her work takes many forms, from cooking private dinners, to feeding big groups on retreat, developing recipes for brands, teaching cooking classes, and advocating for more sustainable local food systems, but the through line is constant: she believes that food should be delicious, flavorful, and indulgent, while also being deeply nourishing, sourced with integrity, and inherently healthful. Her mission is to rewire our collective relationship to what eating well truly means, through the lens of seasonality, sensuality, and intuitive home cooking.
This overnight porridge recipe trades in the more traditional rolled oats for cooked amaranth. Similarly to our beans, amaranth (and all grains for that matter) benefit from a leisurely overnight soak in filtered water. With grains in particular, soaking (preferably with a splash of something acidic, like an unfiltered apple cider vinegar) helps to neutralize anti-nutrients that are inherently present in the grain, helping to render a more nutritious and digestible cooked product. Once cooked, we fold the nutty grain into an aromatic base of coconut milk and chia seeds seasoned with vanilla extract, cardamom, and a touch of honey. You can treat this base recipe as a blank canvas to experiment with; we added toasted almonds and dried strawberries for texture and chew, but feel free to play around with other toasted nuts, seeds, or dried fruits.
The porridge will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For more delicious recipes like this, you can subscribe to Vilda’s Substack here.
Re-create this recipe and find our SIMPLi products at a store near you! For more information and other methods on how to prep our beans & grains, check out our thorough cooking guides.
