Move over Wheat, Here comes the Millet!

After the holidays and a few intense weeks volunteering at my children’s school, my calendar finally opened-up, and I turned to my big stack of recipes that are waiting to be tested realizing that I had cooked on auto-pilot for the last few weeks. That’s not good for a food blogger ;-). To soothe my soul and to make things more interesting again for everybody, I ventured into a few unknown areas and, of the many new dishes I tried, I wanted to share my favorite with you this week. Once again, it is the result of my attempt to move away from the go-to-dishes such as pasta and rice. This recipe uses whole millet, which is savory in flavor, easy to cook and versatile in its many uses. The recipe as a whole is very versatile so you too can get inspired by what is in your CSA produce box, fridge or pantry.  Come and cook with us!

Millet is actually a seed, even though it is more often referred to as a grain due to its grain-like consistency. Its origins are traced back to China where early versions of noodles made of millet flour have been excavated. This seed is packed with minerals such as magnesium, calcium and manganese, as well as vitamin B. Coincidentally, it is widely used in bird seed mixes, which is probably why it has never gone mainstream for humans. Nevertheless, I love using millet for soups instead of quinoa or rice, in salads instead of bulgur for a gluten-free tabbouleh, with minced beef to add a little more nutrition to the dish for my kids, and lastly, my new favorite is a millet patty. A word of caution is that millet goes rancid quickly, so make sure to give it a smell test before adding it to your dish.

This recipe is from a book called Grain Mains from Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough which is all about making whole grains the center of your meal. It is a millet burger spiced up with olive tapenade, capers, herbs and a little cheese. The consistency of the millet is such that no binder such as egg or breadcrumbs is necessary. My family loved it.

So, go out and get some millet, add it to your dishes and let us know what you think. Worst case, winter is here and the birds in your yard will have a feast. Come and cook with us!