Recipe: Honeyed Grapefruit Yogurt Parfait with Popped Amaranth
Sometimes I like to trick my senses into thinking we’re experiencing warmer, more spring-like mornings than we really are in Seattle. Case in point: this pretty, delicate breakfast recipe that’s perfectly-balanced with creamy yogurt, toasty coconut, crunchy amaranth and sweet honey.
After working on my cookbook, Whole Grain Mornings: New Breakfast Recipes to Span the Seasons (Ten Speed Press, December 2013) for about a year now, I am fully, 100% immersed in whole grain breakfast recipes. So while the manuscript is finished and we’re in the heart of the editing process, I’m constantly thinking up recipes I wish we could still squeeze in there. This is one such recipe.
If you’re not familiar with amaranth, it’s often called a pseudograin because it’s actually the seed of an herb. While it’s tiny in stature, it’s a great source of complete protein and amino acids. I almost always toast it before using it because I like the crunch and the nutty flavor it develops in the hot pan — if you find yourself in a granola or muesli rut, popped amaranth is your answer! For this recipe, I use plain yogurt because then I can control the level of sweetness with the honey, but if you prefer a vanilla yogurt (or another favorite flavor), feel free to use that instead.
Honeyed Grapefruit Yogurt Parfait with Popped Amaranth
Serves2
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup
wide-flake unsweetened coconut
- 1
grapefruit
- 1 cup
plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup
raw amaranth
- 4 teaspoons
honey
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and toast the coconut until golden brown and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.
To segment the grapefruit, trim off the top and bottom of the grapefruit so each end is flat. Place the edge of a sharp knife just inside the border where the pith meets the pulp and slice down and out, following the shape of the fruit. Repeat until the grapefruit is peeled. Then gently cut the segments of fruit with a sharp knife by slicing towards the core as close as possible to the membranes that separate the segments. Set segments aside.
To toast the amaranth, pour the dry grains (don't rinse) into a dry pan. Use a taller pan than you think you need as they have a real tendency to jump as they pop. Set the pan over medium-high heat until they gently pop, usually about 3 to 5 minutes.The grains won't grow in size, but they'll turn white like tiny beads of popcorn. Because of their small size, they can burn quickly so be sure to watch the pan closely. It's inevitable that not every single grain will pop. If you wait for them to do so, you'll likely burn the brunt of them, so if most of them have popped and some remain golden brown, call it quits and pull the pan off the heat. They'll be crunchy and delightful regardless.
To toast the amaranth, pour the dry grains (don't rinse) into a dry pan. Use a taller pan than you think you need as they have a real tendency to jump as they pop. Set the pan over medium-high heat until they gently pop, usually about 3 to 5 minutes.The grains won't grow in size, but they'll turn white like tiny beads of popcorn. Because of their small size, they can burn quickly so be sure to watch the pan closely. It's inevitable that not every single grain will pop. If you wait for them to do so, you'll likely burn the brunt of them, so if most of them have popped and some remain golden brown, call it quits and pull the pan off the heat. They'll be crunchy and delightful regardless.
Recipe Notes
Related: Easy and Elegant Brunch Dish: Yogurt Parfait
For more whole grain breakfast recipes much like this one, my cookbook, "Whole Grain Mornings: New Breakfast Recipes to Span the Seasons" (Ten Speed Press, 2013) will be out next December. Follow my weekly blog, A Sweet Spoonful, for book updates and a slew of additional whole grain breakfast (and beyond) recipes.
(Images: Megan Gordon)
Want More?
Get the Kitchn Daily in your inbox.