Amaranth Atole with Banana and Cinnamon
Atole is the warm, thickened morning drink that has started the day across Mexico since long before dairy arrived, usually built on masa harina or cornstarch. This version leans on amaranth, the ancient grain the Aztecs grew as a staple and still eat popped and pressed into sweets, which cooks down into a naturally creamy porridge with its own faint nuttiness. Because the grain and a ripe banana do the thickening, there is no need for the sugar and evaporated milk a coffee-shop atole relies on: dates carry the sweetness, cinnamon and clove carry the warmth, and soy milk carries the protein. Drink it from a mug the traditional way, or leave it thicker and eat it with a spoon.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Amaranth, rinsed
- 2 cups Unsweetened soy milk
- 1 Banana, very ripe
- 3 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 stick Ceylon cinnamon, or 1 tsp ground
- 2 wholes Cloves
Method
- Toast the rinsed amaranth in a dry saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring, until it smells nutty. Toasting the raw grain before any liquid goes in deepens the flavor and keeps the finished atole from tasting flat.
- Add 1 cup (240 ml) water, the cinnamon stick, and the whole cloves. Simmer gently, stirring often, for about 18 minutes, until the amaranth turns translucent and sticky. Amaranth is a tiny seed that wants to catch on the bottom, so keep the spoon moving and the heat low.
- While it cooks, blend the banana and pitted dates with 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the soy milk until completely smooth. Blending the sweeteners instead of chopping them means the sweetness spreads evenly and no fibrous date skin is left behind.
- Fish out the cinnamon stick and cloves. Stir in the banana-date blend and the remaining 1.5 cups (360 ml) soy milk, then warm through for 3 to 4 minutes without boiling. Soy milk is the one plant milk with enough protein to give the atole body, so it does the work cream would do in a heavier drink.
- Pour into two warm mugs. It thickens as it stands, so loosen it with a splash of hot water if you have let it sit, and dust the top with a little more cinnamon.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 330 calories, 13 g protein, 9 g fiber, 90 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
