Tag: vegetarian

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!

Risotto with spinach and cherry tomatoes

Sustainability tips:

The main ingredients of this recipe are generally sustainable. You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. Below are some additional tips to go more sustainable for those who have the time and availability . Fresh, organic spinach are the most sustainable choice. Regular spinach use a fair amount of pesticides and with the frozen choice comes the plastic bag. The same can be said for the ready made broth that usually comes in a non-recyclable container.

Ingredient
More Sustainable
Less Sustainable

Cheese
Spinach
Vegetable Broth
Onion

Avoid
Organic/Fresh
Home made/buillon
No plastic bags

Parmesan sprinkle
Regular/Frozen
From a box
In plastic bags

Useful things to have ready

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (3-4 people)

  • Risotto Arborio or Carnaroli (1 fistful/person + 2 more)
  • 2 bunches of fresh spinach or half bag of frozen spinach (see above how to wash fresh spinach)
  • 1 cups of vegetable broth (see above how to prepare vegetable broth)
  • One table spoon of olive oil
  • Half onion finely chopped
  • Half teaspoon of red chili pepper or black pepper (optional)
  • Half shot glass of white wine (optional)
  • 2 spoons of tomato puree
  • 10-15 cherry tomatoes
  • Salt

Procedure

  1. Wash the spinach thoroughly
  2. Chop the spinach
  3. Wash the cherry tomatoes and slice them in half
  4. In a wok heat the olive oil
  5. Add onions and sautee until golden
  6. Add red pepper (optional)
  7. Add rice and sautee for 1 minute on medium heat
  1. Add white wine and let evaporate (optional)
  2. Add spinach, mix and cook one minute
  3. Add enough broth to cover the rice
  4. Add tomato puree
  5. Lower the heat and let it cook adding broth or water as it gets absorbed by the rice
  • When the rice is almost ready add salt and the cherry tomatoes
  • Finish cooking until rice is soft but not mushy
  • Turn off heat and let it rest for a few minutes. The broth should be entirely absorbed.