Tag: millet

Lemon millet

Empower yourself! Free yourself from meat dependency by switching to a diverse, plant-based diet. I propose here another quick and delicious recipe based on millet.

Sustainability tips:

Millet is a sustainable crop that is resilient to drought and climate stress. It is therefore considered a staple of sustainable agriculture. I suggest to buy organic millet that can be purchased in bulk at a relatively low cost. Millet is an important food in the Ayurvedic tradition where is celebrated for its nutrient contents and recommended for weight management. Another advantage of millet is that it can be prepared fairly quickly and used in a variety of dishes. In this recipe we use foxtail millet.

Useful things to have ready
  • For rinsing and draining the raw and cooked millet it is useful to have a fine mesh strainer.
  • It is a good practice to rinse the millet a few times, until the water is clear, and soak it 1 or 2 hours before using it. Soaking is not strictly necessary, but it helps improve the taste.
  • The spices suggested here are optional and can be replaced with something else, depending on personal preferences. Even just some olive oil, roasted garlic, and lemon will do!

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients (3-4 people)

  • 1 cup of dry millet
  • 1-2 garlic cloves
  • 2-3 curry leaves or bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
  • 1 green chili (optional)
  • Red crushed chili pepper (optional)
  • Peanuts (optional)
  • Salt
  • One table spoon of olive oil or other vegetable oil
  • Lemon
Raw millet

Procedure

  • After soaking and rinsing the millet, place it in a pot with water and little salt
  • Bring the water to a boil and cook the millet until soft (about 10 minutes)
  • Skim the foam that builds up while the millet is cooking to improve taste
  • Drain the cooked millet with a fine mesh strainer and cool it by rinsing it with cold water
  • In a pan heat the oil
  • Add cumin, mustard seeds, and red chilies
  • Add curry leaves, green chilies and garlic cloves
  • Sautee on low flame until garlic is lightly roasted
Add spices to a pan
  • Add millet and sautee for a few minutes
  • Turn off the heat and squeeze some fresh lemon on top
  • You can add some peanuts or other garnish if desired
Ready!

Enjoy!

Zucchini stuffed with millet

This recipe seems complicated, but in reality is quite simple once you have familiarized yourself with millet. It took me a few tries to get the right way to cook millet. I’ll share here the basic cooking, you can try and see if it works for you.

Millet is a variety of whole grain that can be used in several dishes. It is a nice alternative to rice or couscous. If you have never tried it I suggest you give it a try. It doesn’t require soaking and cooks very quickly.

Sustainability tips:

Millet is a sustainable crop that requires less resources compared to other cereals. Diversifying our diet is also a great way to increase crop biodiversity. Please check out this link on millet crops.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1092492

The remaining ingredients for this recipe are quite basic and generally sustainable. Remember that supporting organic and sustainable produce goes a long way to reduce harmful pesticide use. I also suggest to avoid produce in plastic bags and to bring your own reusable bags to help reduce the amount of plastic dispersed in the environment.

Useful things to have ready

Cooked millet: I used to follow directions and cook the millet in little water letting the grain absorb the water slowly. However this preparation method resulted in a sticky blob of millet that was difficult to utilize. I therefore suggest the following method for the basic preparation:

  • Place millet in a bowl and rinse it several times draining the water with a fine mesh strainer (the grains are quite small).
  • Fill up a pot with water and add salt, water should be abundant compared to the amount of millet.
  • Add 1 fistful of millet per person (it grows a lot).
  • Bring the water and millet to a boil on a medium flame and let it boil until the millet is soft (about 10 minutes). The millet should be circulating in the pot.
  • As soon as the millet is soft drain the water with a strainer and rinse the millet under cold running water, this will stop the cooking and leave the millet intact.
  • At this point you can store the millet in the refrigerator and use it later or proceed to this recipe or any other recipe.
Boil millet in abundant salty water
As soon as the millet is soft drain it ad rinse in cold water

Preparation time: about 30 minutes

Ingredients (3-4 people)

  • 1 large chopped tomato (I peel it but is not necessary)
  • half onion (if small) or 1/4 (if large) chopped in small pieces
  • 4 zucchini (courgette)
  • 2 scallions
  • 1 garlic clove-mashed
  • 2-3 spoons of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (or sauce)
  • 1 handful of capers and olives (optional)
  • Salt

Procedure

  • Cut zucchini in cylinders about 1 inch high and place them into a pot of water. Bring to a boil until the zucchini are softer, but not fully cooked (about 5-10 minutes).
Soft zucchini ready to be carved
  • Carve the zucchini removing the soft center and leaving the outer skin
  • In a pot heat the oil, add chopped onions, mashed garlic and cook for a few minutes
  • Add scallions
Add chopped onions and garlic
Add scallions

  • Add the zucchini pulp, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, olives and capers.
Cut the pulp in small pieces
Combine all ingredients

Cook 6-7 minutes until the tomatoes are well cooked, add the cooked millet and check the salt. The millet will quickly absorb any excess liquid.

Add millet to the mix
  • Place the empty shells on an oven pan and fill up with the millet.
  • Place in the oven for about 20 minutes
Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes

Enjoy as a side dish or a nice appetizer!

Help reduce meat consumption! If you have a vegetarian recipe you would like to share please email me at info@choosesustainable.org and I’ll post it on this blog.

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