Millet Garden Medley

In-season vegetables, including carrots, parsnips, greens and sweet potatoes, combine with kidney beans, chickpeas and millet for a hearty winter meal. Feel free to vary the vegetables, selecting your seasonal favorites for this flavorful garden medley. Millet, a tiny, round, golden grain, turns light and fluffy when cooked and is simple to prepare.

Serves 6

1 cup (dry) kidney beans
1 cup (dry) chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 parsnips, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
6 cups vegetable stock (or water)
1 stalk broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
5 plum tomatoes, diced
3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized pieces
6 fingerling potatoes, cut in half
2 cups chopped greens (kale or collards)
1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 scallions, sliced (for garnish if desired)

Millet

1 cup millet, rinsed and drained
3 cups spring water (or vegetable stock)
pinch sea salt

Rinse the kidney beans and chickpeas and then soak in water overnight. Drain and rinse before proceeding.

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery.

Sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the parsnip and sauté another 2 minutes. Add the chili powder and cook another minute.

Add the vegetable stock and drained beans and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour. (Check beans half way through cooking time and add water just to cover if necessary.)

Add broccoli, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, fingerling potatoes, greens, corn and salt. Bring to a boil then cover and simmerfor one hour, or until beans and vegetables are tender.

Serve over cooked millet. Garnish with sliced scallions.

To cook the millet:
Place millet in a fine mesh strainer. Rinse under cool water for about 1 minute and thoroughly drain.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the drained millet to the hot pan and, stirring frequently, dry-roast the millet for a few minutes until it becomes dry and fragrant, but not brown. Remove from heat.

Bring the water to a boil, add salt and toss in roasted millet. Return to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20–30 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and leave covered for a few minutes.

Nutrition Info

Per serving (12 oz-wt.): 200 calories (35 from fat), 4g total fat, .5g saturated fat, 5g dietary fiber, 6g protein, 37g carbohydrate, 0mg cholesterol, 270mg sodium

Recipes

Millet Garden Medley

Serves 6

Nutrition Info