A perfect snack, superb to serve at events, on retreat and alongside hot drinks. Make into bars or serve in smaller bite sizes / shards. Amaranth is a pseudo-grain (or seed) like Quinoa. It is more widely available and easy to use. Amaranth is rich in calcium and contains good levels of protein. It is gentle on the gut, being easy to digest. Here the popped amaranth presents a bit of a novelty over the usual snack or energy bars besides providing some good gluten free protein.
Puffed amaranth can be added to granola, muesli, energy balls and these bars. You can buy puffed amaranth from health food shops or make your own using amaranth seeds. We order most of our organic produce Wholefoods online.
To make your own, heat up a medium to large sized deep sided saucepan until hot (use water to test the sizzle if you want). When the pan is hot, add 1 tsp Amaranth seeds to the pan. Keep the pan on the heat for 3-5 seconds and then take off the heat. The amaranth will start to pop (like popcorn) and colour. Immediately swirl and pour the popped amaranth into a bowl. Clean out the saucepan with a wooden spoon or kitchen towel and repeat the process.
Set the oven to 160oc or Gas mark 3. Line a square baking tin (20cm / 8 inches) with greaseproof paper.
Whisk the egg whites in a large mixing bowl until just foaming and turning from clear to translucent.
Drain the cranberries and add them to the egg whites.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix well
Spoon into the baking tin and press the mixture evenly in the tin. Bake for 35 minutes.
Leave to cool in the baking tin then remove and slice as you wish.
Store in a cool place in an airtight container and eat within 48 hours.
Keep a careful watch as these tiny seeds can burn quickly and then should be thrown away as they will be bitter and unhealthy to eat. Don’t be tempted to add more than a dessertspoon of seeds at a time or it will not puff up.
Allergy advice: Contains eggs and nuts (and nut butter).
