Millet and Vegetable Salad

I don’t know about you but the recipe for Spicy Millet and Carrot was way too much for my household. I had about three-quarters of it left over. Now what should I do with this, I thought? Why not make a cold salad with it! It came out so good, I think I’ll use that recipe now as a basis for a salad all the time, it was so delectable. I used what I had on hand but feel free to use whatever vegetables you like – some cooked summer squash, diced avocado, chopped mushrooms, or peas would be great in this salad.

In a medium mixing bowl combine:

1 to 1 1/2 cups of the spicy millet with carrot, cold*

10-12 grape tomatoes, sliced in half or quarters

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced

1 scallion, sliced

Mix to combine the vegetables then add a simple vinaigrette of:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar (use less if you use a stronger vinegar such as white or cider)

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 tablespoon mustard

1 teaspoon siracha (optional)

Whisk to combine. I actually always use a small jelly jar to mix my vinaigrette – add ingredients, screw on the lid and shake for a minute or two. Mix the vinaigrette into the millet mixture and serve. Makes 2-3 servings.

*If you haven’t made the Spicy Carrot Millet, see the recipe under side dishes. You could use cooked millet and simply add some of the spices to the vinaigrette along with some julienned carrots to the salad.

Lemon Sauce for desserts

Another easy quick sauce.

In a small saucepan combine:

1/2 cup date sugar (agave nectar, honey, or use 1/2 teaspoon monk fruit powder)

2 tablespoons arrowroot

3/4 cup water

zest and juice (1/4 cup) of 1 lemon

Whisk over medium high heat until thickens, about 3-5 minutes. If a richer taste is desired, when thickened, whisk in:

2 tablespoons avocado oil (or vegan butter or margarine)

Serve warm.

Vanilla Sauce for desserts

Here’s a very easy, quick recipe to use instead of whipped toppings.

In a small saucepan combine:

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 tablespoon arrowroot (tapioca or corn starch also work)

1 tablespoon date sugar (agave or coconut nectar, honey, or 1/8 teaspoon monk fruit powder)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla powder)

Whisk over medium high heat for about 2 minutes until mixture thickens. Serve warm or hot. Mixture will thicken as it cools. Store leftover sauce in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.

Plum Pie with Oatmeal Crust

I’m always looking for ways to make desserts that don’t contain lot of sugar and/or simple carbs. So when I found a recipe for an oatmeal pie crust, the thought hit me that this would be an interesting concept to investigate. Having more plums on hand than I could eat that were ripening rapidly, I thought it would be a tasty combination and indeed it turned out to be just that. If you’d like to make a crumb crust for the top as well, increase the crust recipe by 50%.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl combine:

1 cup rolled gluten-free oats

1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (just brown rice, sorghum, oat, etc., would also work)

1/3 cup date sugar*

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup avocado oil (or melted vegan butter or margarine)

Stir until it forms a crumbly texture. Press firmly in the bottom of a 9″ pie plate. Cover with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until crust is browned. Let cool while the plums are prepared.

In a medium bowl combine:

3-4 cups (depending on how full you like your pie) diced plums (skins on is fine as long as they’re organic)

1/4 cup date sugar*

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons all-purpose gluten-free flour

2 tablespoons avocado oil (or melted vegan butter or margarine)

zest of 1 small lemon and juice from 1/2 the lemon

Stir to combine ingredients before spooning into the pie crust. If desired, cover with more crust mixture before baking for 45-60 minutes (depending on how full the pie is). Cool completely before cutting. Serve with a non-dairy whipped topping or, vanilla or lemon sauce (see recipes under sauces).

*To lower the glycemic index value of the dessert even more, substitute 1/4 teaspoon of monk fruit powder in the plums and 1/3 teaspoon in the crust. If you choose this alternative, start with 1/4 cup of oil and add by tablespoons until the mixture is a crumbly consistency.

Spiced Carrot Millet

If you’re looking for something different as a side dish, here’s a tasty way to go. If you haven’t tried millet, or just used it for breakfast, this gives you a great introduction to using it as a savory side dish. Per usual, the recipe is very adjustable – carrot is one way to go but parsnips, butternut squash, or even pea puree would work just as well depending on your family’s tastes. It’s fairly quick, about 30 minutes to prepare, and quite an easy, straightforward recipe. Enjoy something different!

First, in a 12″ skillet over medium heat dry toast:

1 cup whole millet

While the millet is toasting, in a 4-quart saucepan, over medium high heat, bring to a boil:

2 cups stock (I used vegetable stock but use any type you like, or even water, works)

Once millet is toasted (about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally), add it to the boiling stock. Stir to combine, cover and reduce heat to medium low or low, and cook through, about 20 minutes, until water is evaporated and the millet is softened.

While the millet cooks, in a double boiler, steam:

3/4 cup carrots (I used the pre-sliced but any kind will work)

Steam until soft and then blend, using a hand-held immersion blender with:

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin (or 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric)

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black ground pepper)

In the bowl of a food processor, or using a hand grater, grate:

6-8 baby carrots

You should have about 1/3 to 1/2 cup. Once the millet is cooked, stir in these grated carrots and cover again. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Once the cooked carrots are pureed (you could also use a food processor or stand blender), add to the millet mixture, stirring to combine.

Finish with some avocado oil, vegan butter or margarine; or a squeeze of lemon and/or 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind. Garnish with some cilantro, green onions or chopped carrot top if desired. Serves 8.