Amaranth Crackers

The ingredient list is minimal for this super simple gluten-free cracker - or cracker chips as I sometimes call them. You can literally make these with just amaranth and water but the olive oil, salt and pepper bring in a savory flavor and the olive oil increases the crunch. Make them smaller if you wish, and thicker if you’d like a more sturdy cracker. If you make them thicker, they will take longer to bake. These are so delicious, I’ve thought about bringing them to market.

Makes 18 crackers

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, optional
1 batch cooked amaranth (see below)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Spices, dried herbs, nuts, seeds, cooked lentils, optional 

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. 

2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. With a silicon, rubber or small offset spatula, evenly distribute 1 tablespoon of the olive oil onto the parchment paper. Drop 9 scant tablespoons amaranth evenly spaced and use the spatula to spread the amaranth in a very thin layer, keeping the crackers from touching. It helps to get some olive oil on the underside of the spatula to help spread the amaranth. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and any spices, dried herbs, or other optional ingredients.

3. Bake until the crackers start to lift up from the parchment paper and are golden brown, around 20-25 minutes, then flip over and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes to crisp up the middles. 

4. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
   

Cooked Amaranth

1 cup amaranth grain

In a small pot bring the amaranth and 3 cups water or other liquid (stock, beer, juice) to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender and have a glossy sheen (somewhat gelatinous), about 25 - 30 minutes. The viscosity should be like thick cake batter. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you are cooking the amaranth and baking the crackers later, you will need to stir water into the amaranth to return it to the right consistency, since it will harden in the fridge.

Popped Amaranth

1/4 cup unpopped amaranth = 1 cup popped

1. Place a bowl next to the stove. 

2. Heat a tall pot on the stove over high heat. Pour a few drops of water into the center of the pot. When the water beads up and dances to the edge of the pot immediately upon contact, the surface is hot enough. (The bottom of the pot should be really hot so that the amaranth pops and does not burn.)

3. Add 1 tablespoon of the amaranth. Use the lid (or a screen) as a shield to prevent the popped amaranth from flying out of the pot, but do not cover the pot with the lid or the heat will be trapped and the amaranth will burn.

4. Transfer the amaranth to the bowl once has popped and become white, like baby popcorn. Repeat this process until all of the amaranth is popped.

   
   (The first batch may be like the first pancake - it can take a couple of rounds for the amaranth to pop evenly. Depending on your stove and the thickness of the bottom of your pot, you may need to lift the pot up off of the burner and shake it a bit. It takes some finessing but don’t give up!)

More information on amaranth:

• Oldways Whole Grain Council

• The Guardian: ‘It could feed the world’: amaranth, a health trend 8,000 years old that survived colonization

• Colorado State: Understudied Indigenous Crops - Grain Amaranth

• Hawaii Seed Growers Network: In Love With Leaf Amaranth