“Good Vegan, Bad Vegan” and an Amaranth Porridge recipe

A recent New York Times article by health columnist Jane Brody suggested the idea that there are “good vegans and bad vegans.” The bad vegans eat simple carbohydrates and distort the science around nutrition to make their points when proselytizing to others.

Needless to say this was a controversial article with a passionate comments section.

I’m neither vegan, nor even vegetarian, but I think of myself as a meat minimalist, so this subject interests me. Moreover, although I don’t agree with Brody on all points, I do sometimes see in teen vegans and vegetarians, the diet she calls bad. (The teen carnivores are no better, mind you, with their added processed meats and chicken nuggets.)

The article inspired me to google “best vegan proteins.” First, I had to scroll past the powdered products, which make me sad as someone who loves to cook and eat food.

Then I found this list of 25 vegan proteins with descriptions of how each is good for you, and I was psyched to see the top five are all foods I cook:

Lentils

Tofu

Black Beans

Quinoa

Amaranth

So, I got inspired to share my recipe for Amaranth Porridge (2 servings)

Porridge

1 cup amaranth grain (190g) 

2 cups water (500g)

Garnish

pumpkin seeds 

banana or other fresh fruit

1-2 Tbsp jam, maple syrup or honey

Bring the water to a boil on your smallest burner. Add the amaranth grain. Cover and turn heat to lowest simmer. Set timer for 20 minutes. After timer goes off, turn off the heat and leave covered for an additional 10 minutes. 

Serve with pumpkin seeds, sliced fruit and a spoonful of apple butter (jam).

Nutritional information for 1 serving of amaranth porridge (pre-garnish) can be found here (13 grams of protein and a lot of minerals in one serving).