The Week's Granola

Last week I found 1/4 cup of amaranth in a jar in the pantry. I was not happy at this discovery. A quarter cup of this tiny grain is not enough to cook by itself, so I was tempted to feed it to the neighbor's chickens.

But that felt wasteful. Instead, I decided to add it to our weekly granola. Amaranth is high in protein so I knew it would make a nutritious addition to our breakfasts. The key would be to get it to stick to the oats and nuts, and not just fall to the bottom of the granola jar where it would remain uneaten.

Brown rice syrup and honey provided the stickiness, along with some dates, and Larry declared it the best granola I've made. Here's what I did.

Granola with Amaranth

4 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup amaranth

1 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

3 tbsp honey

3 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups chopped pitted dates

Preheat oven to 275°F.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, amaranth, bran, sunflower seeds and walnuts. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and stir well.

In a medium saucepan, warm brown rice syrup, honey and canola oil until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour this over the rolled oats mixture and stir well. (This might be easier with two spoons or with your hands.)

Spread the mixture on a cookie sheet and bake until lightly golden, about 25-30 minutes. Stir occasionally while it cooks. It will feel soft when you take it from the oven, but it will crisp up as it cools. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the chopped dates. Let it cool completely and then store in a large glass jar.

It will probably last a few weeks in the cupboard, if you hide it from your family.

P.S. To make this truly vegan, substitute extra brown rice syrup for the honey.