17 November, 2014
Crock Pot Apple Pie Amaranth Porridge
Before you pass over this recipe because amaranth sounds foreign to you, I ask you to hang in here with me for a minute. You can easily change out the amaranth for rolled oats, quinoa, farro, or any grain or seed you like. My Crock Pot Apple Pie Amaranth Porridge is vegan and gluten free.
What is amaranth?
Amaranth, like quinoa, is actually a seed. The seeds are smaller than quinoa, so the texture is a bit like grits. Amaranth contains more than three times the average amount of calcium. It is also high in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. It’s also the only grain known to contain vitamin C. It’s a protein powerhouse. At about 13-14%, it contains the highest protein content of most other grains. You may hear the protein in amaranth referred to as “complete” because it contains lysine, an amino acid missing or negligible in many grains. These are tiny seeds, but pack a nutritious punch.
With the holidays coming up many of you are probably preparing for a house full of visitors. You may already be busy thinking about how to easily feed all those hungry mouths. With large holiday dinners to cook, why not make breakfast a breeze? Crock Pot Apple Pie Amaranth Porridge is the answer!
To make this porridge, simply dump all the ingredients into your crock pot, turn it on low, and wake up to a warm, filling, nourishing breakfast that will make your home smell wonderful. You can leave the crock pot on low all morning and have breakfast ready for all your guests no matter what time they wake up. Set out a do-it-yourself topping station so your guests can customize their Crock Pot Apple Pie Amaranth Porridge however they like.
In fact, make this recipe all winter long even just for yourself. It’s getting really cold outside right now, how comforting would it be to wake up to a breakfast that will warm you from the inside out? Make this Sunday night and have it ready to reheat all week long. How about that for a twist on overnight oats?
Crock Pot Apple Pie Amaranth Porridge
Ingredients
- 5 medium apples sweet or tart, cored and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 15 large dates pitted
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- Juice of 1 orange about 4 Tablespoons
- 2 cups amaranth or rolled oats, oat groats, farro, quinoa- anything you like, sprouted or soaked preferred
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 1/2 cups water
- Possible toppings:
- chopped nuts
- raisins
- honey
- goji berries
- dried cranberries
- unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
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Grease a crock pot with a little coconut oil or butter.
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Add all of the ingredients in the order listed to your crock pot, except for the toppings.
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Cook over low heat overnight, at least 8 hours.
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Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
Recipe Notes
Choose organic ingredients when possible.
Sounds great! I love crock pot recipes! I’m allergic to citrus, though…could I just leave it out…or could you suggest a substitute? Thank you!
I love crock pot recipes too! I would just leave the citrus out. It would still be delicious! Thanks for the comment and enjoy!
Hello there,
I love crock pot recipes. This recipe sounds healthy and delicious. I make several slow cooker overnight steel cut oats recipes that calls for greasing the slow cooker first so the end results do not stick to the crock pot. I’m about to make this tomorrow but do I need to grease the slow cooker before I make this recipe?
Thanks
Yes I greased my crock pot with some coconut oil. Thanks I Forgot to add that to the recipe.
Hi there. Just want to tell you this was my first time using Amaranth and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sprouting the Amarth was a little labor and time invest, but well worth it! I used 4 organic HoneyCrisp apples with the skin on and 1 Granny Smith Apple. I also did tweaked your recipe a bit by adding 1 Tablespoon of Maple Syrup, 2 teaspoon of coconut sugar with 1/4 teaspoon of Cardamom powder at the end for a little bit more sweetness and exotic taste. It’s delicious and I’ll definitely be making it again soon. Thanks for the recipe!
That is so great! I love cardamom- I’ll have to do that next time. You are so welcome.
Hi! I am looking forward to trying this recipe! Question: I am probably going to use quinoa, since I have that on hand and wondered if it should be cooked before adding it?
You don’t have to cook it beforehand since it will cook in the crock pot. I hope you enjoy!
Would another milk work other than coconut? I’m prearing a meal for class along with my classmates & they’re using coconut milk in their curry dish so I’m thinking it’s too much coconut milk.
Feel free to use any milk that you enjoy!