P
op till you drop – that’s my motto! How about you – do you like popcorn? I love popcorn! Hot from the microwave, or directly from a saucepan, crispy, salty, with some butter melting on the top, of course! I particularly like to nibble the extra crunchy ones that didn’t pop all the way! Anyway, I must admit that until recently I was living in the dark, thinking that corn is the single edible ‘dancer’ around, but – as they say –“It takes two to pop”, and yes – there is another ‘popping’ agent available – amaranth!
What the heck is amaranth? – You ask. If you take a glimpse at my post about flour, you will learn a few things about amaranth flour. However, you can buy and cook amaranth grain – a tiny grain native to South America, which was a staple food of the Aztecs, but its cultivation was banned by the conquistadors. In the 1970s amaranth was rediscovered in the US, and it started its cultivation. Since amaranth contains more protein than any other grain, not only it is extra healthy, but you can pop it, too!
Store-bought puffed amaranth is fantastic; however, sometimes I prefer a hands-on approach. So, I heated my saucepan and put a spoonful of these tiny seeds inside, directly into the pan. After a while, they started to pop, and it is the cutest popping I have ever seen! If you try this at home, and end up with some seeds unpopped, especially in the first few batches, don’t worry because those are also edible. Put your amaranth pops into a bowl and leave them to cool.
For making your granola bar, you can use any nuts and dried fruits you like, so feel free to swap my dried cranberries or almonds for a nut of your choice, play with your ingredients and enjoy in your super healthy snack! I’ve wrapped few granola bars and poped them into my gym bag, they are perfect energy boosters after exhausting workout!
Popped Amaranth Granola Bar Recipe
by:Tereza Alabanda,The Pastry Maestra
PRINT PDF (EN) ISPIŠI PDF (HR)Prep. time : 10 minutes
Cook time : 0 minutes
Ready in 10 minutes plus cooling
Level : Basic
Ingredients:- Popped amaranth 50g (1.8oz)
- Whole almonds, toasted 150g (5.3oz)
- Dried cranberries 150g (5.3oz)
- Slivered almonds 100g (3.5oz)
- Honey 150g (3.5oz)
- Almond Butter 150g (3.2oz)
- Coconut oil 125g (4.4oz)
- Put popped amaranth, toasted almonds, toasted slivered almonds, and dried cranberries into a large bowl and mix well.
- Add warm almond butter, warm honey, and melted coconut oil, and stir well with a silicone spatula.
- Transfer the mixture into a 20cmx20cm (8″x8″) baking pan lined with parchment paper, and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
- Put the pan in the fridge for about an hour to set.
- When the mixture sets, cut it into bars and store them in the fridge.
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