Meal Pattern Minute: Amaranth
June 7, 2024
Cereal grains like wheat, oats, and quinoa are more common grains seen at the grocery store. However, there are many more types of grains available that may help bring variety to your Child and Adult Care Food Program menu. Take the opportunity to explore these grains as they can provide different textures and flavors to your dish. One such grain is Amaranth. A few questions that may come to mind when considering new grains are what type of grain is this, is it considered to be a whole grain, is it creditable in the CACFP and most importantly, how do I use it?
Get the answers to the questions above about amaranth by listening in to Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RDN, LD, as she divulges this information.
After viewing the video, below are more resources to provide you supporting materials to help you understand and use amaranth in your CACFP menu.
- Identifying Grain Ingredients
- This handout provides a list of creditable whole grains and other creditable grains in the CACFP. It also indicates which grains are not creditable in the CACFP.
- Whole Grains A to Z
- Review the “Encyclopedia of Whole Grains” developed by the Whole Grains Council. This resource provides you with a quick overview of different grains you could try, including amaranth! Learn what it is and obtain a few recipe ideas.
- USDA Food Buying Guide
- Look up amaranth with USDA’s web-based tool the Food Buying Guide. There it will tell you the yield and how much to serve of amaranth to achieve the desired CACFP crediting amount in ounce equivalents.
Want more recipes? Keep checking back to the National CACFP Sponsors Association recipe page. We continue to strive to add more recipes throughout each year.
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