Buckwheat and Amaranth Muffins

Not too long ago I posted about Steel Cut Oatmeal and Blueberry Muffins that I made after I saw the extremely exciting MUFFIN feature in the Recipes for Health section of the NY Times.  These Buckwheat and Amaranth Muffins are another recipe from that series that I had been just dying to try.  You can't see them in the picture, but these muffins have big blackberry-bombs in them.  In fact, 3 or 4 of the muffins had a big chunk fall out the bottom because the blackberry was a bit too close to the edge.  Next time I'll put a small scoop of batter in each cup before I even mix in the blackberries.  And yes, there will be a next time, because these were delicious.

Amaranth Porridge

I've got a stockpile of grains in my fridge that could probably replant Earth after the apocalypse.  It's a little bit ridiculous, especially considering some of them are never used, so I'm always on the lookout for super easy ways to integrate them into my everyday cooking and eating.  I saw a recipe for Amaranth Porridge on the NY Times Recipes for Health section and I finally got around to trying it out.  It's very simple: cook the amaranth with water on the stove, then add a splash of milk and some brown sugar.  I liked that it had a bit of a crunch to it.  I added a little more sugar than I like, but it was still tasty.

My favorite part, though, is the little curly tails.  Amaranth pops out little tails when it cooks, just like quinoa.  You can see them in the picture up above.  They're just too cute!!!