Mexican Topped Millet

Those of you that know me will not be surprised to hear I had to listen to all the lectures for course two of the e-Cornell certification today. I just can’t help myself. Apparently my type-A personality traits run very deep. I got a slow start this morning because I wasn’t able to focus. However once I got a little exercise I was able to get through the lectures. Needless to say this meant that I didn’t start dinner until Dan was on his way home from work. Thankfully it takes him about 20 minutes from door to door. On those days when I am short on time I rely on millet or quinoa since they cook quickly. Here is what I made tonight:

Mexican Topped Millet
Serves 4

Millet Ingredients:

1 ½ cups millet
2 cups water
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salt, as desired (I didn’t use any)

Topping Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (allow to stand 10 minutes before heating so allicin can develop)
¼ cup water to sauté the aromatics
10 ounces Rotel tomatoes
1 ½ cups white beans, cooked without salt and drained
10 black olives, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 pinch red pepper flakes
8 spears fresh asparagus, woody ends removed then thinly sliced
6 cups raw baby spinach, roughly cut
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

Combine the ingredients for the millet in a heavy saucepan with a lid and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

To make the sauce water sauté the onions and garlic until soft. Add the remaining ingredients except the asparagus, spinach and onions and cook over low heat will the millet is cooking. When the millet is done turn the heat off on the sauce and add the remaining ingredients and stir them into the sauce.

To serve top the millet with the sauce.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 473
Calories From Fat (13%) - 59.51

Total Fat - 6.67g
Saturated Fat - 0.76g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 490.33mg
Potassium - 969.57mg
Total Carbohydrates - 83.1g
Fiber - 16.38g
Sugar - 2.52g
Protein - 17.73g

Comments:

You may be asking why I added nutrition yeast and vinegar to the millet. I was trying to add a little background flavor without sodium. It did add some flavor but next time I will include an extra tablespoon of vinegar.

This is another dish that came together quickly because I keep cooked beans in the refrigerator and freezer. If you haven’t tried that “trick” yet I highly recommend it. It comes in very handy for me.

I think Heather and her love of Mexican food is rubbing off on me. I don’t normally make Mexican twice a week for dinner. However this was good and a nice change from the Italian, Asian or Middle Eastern food I normally make.

I added the spinach, asparagus and green onions at the very end of cooking so that they would retain as much nutrition as possible. Olive provided the fat so that we were able to absorb the fat soluble vitamins as well as adding salt.

Each serving of this contains approximately 5,100IU of vitamin A, 25mg of vitamin C, 155mg of calcium, 7mg of iron, 280mcg of folate, 250mcg of vitamin K, 400mg of phosphorus, and 190mg of magnesium. The stats for this are similar to most of my meals, which is a good thing.

To go with this we had a glass of fresh veggie and fruit juice like normal.

Unrelated note:

The second course in the e-Cornell program is much better than the first one. I was happy to hear new information presented by individuals that have not read before. I was also happy that the lectures were going into more detail. If anyone has any questions about course two feel free to send me an email or post a comment.

It will be nice to have things get back to normal tomorrow (no running around or school). I am considering spending half the day in the kitchen. Cooking is my therapy and I feel like I can use a little right now. Unless something comes up to ruin my plans you can expect to see a few recipes tomorrow. I have no idea what that means yet but there may be a new seitan sausage. I haven’t made a new one in while so that could be fun.

For now I am going to go and take care of a few things before it is time to turn in. I hope you all had a great day. I will chat with you tomorrow.

Seitan Cutlets and Millet topped with Green Beans and Walnuts

As usual when 6pm came I had no idea what I was making for dinner. This is meal that came together based on what I had in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry. Their entire meal was ready in 25 minutes, the time it took to make the millet. Reheating the cutlets took 5 minutes. The green beans were ready in about 7 minutes. This is definitely one of my quick dinners. Here is what we had tonight.

Seitan Cutlets and Millet topped with Green Beans and Walnuts
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup millet, dry
2 cups water
1 pinch salt
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoon water
6 cups green beans, frozen
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 cup walnuts
salt and pepper to taste
4 seitan cutlets

Directions:

Combine the millet, water and salt and bring the water to a boil. When boiling reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, covered. Allow the millet to stand covered for at least 5 minutes after all the water has been absorbed.

While the millet is standing covered, start the green bean dish and reheating the cutlets.

Water sauté the onion and garlic until tender. Add the green beans, wine vinegar and cook until the green beans are hot but still vibrant green. Add the walnuts and cook a minute to heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

While the onions are softening heat the cutlets in a heavy bottomed skillet lightly coated with oil.

To serve, top the millet with the green beans and place the cutlet on the side. If desired top the cutlet with a little barbeque sauce.

Nutritional information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 647.51
Calories From Fat (30%) - 194.98

Total Fat - 23.08g
Saturated Fat - 2.54g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 888.68mg
Potassium - 682.91mg
Total Carbohydrates - 71.82g
Fiber - 14.95g
Sugar - 5.13g
Protein - 40.51g

Comments:

This meal contains a nice amount of protein, courtesy of the seitan and walnuts. Since my goal today was more protein I would say the meals today were what I intended. The green beans have a nice flavor from the wine vinegar. I also liked the crunch of the walnuts in this dish. To make this E2L friendly be certain not to exceed the 1 cup of daily whole grains.

Each serving of this meal contains approximately 1,135IU of vitamin A, 210mg of calcium, 6.2mg of iron, 130mcg of folate, 445mg of phosphorus, 175mg of magnesium, and 27mcg of selenium.

Unrelated Comments:

I would have gotten this posted last night but we had to get up at an uncivilized hour this morning. My hubby had to leave early for work this morning so the entire house was up and moving when he got up. Not being much of a morning person these early mornings are not something I enjoy.

Since I am up early this morning I am going to try to get my Pilates in before 9am. This is very out of character for me. Only time will tell if I can adapt.

I will try to be back later today with another recipe. We are going out to dinner tonight with our friend Phil who is in town from Missouri.

Two Whole Grain Bread (Wheat and Millet)

The weather was beautiful and cool this morning so I decided to make a quick whole grain bread for lunch today. My husband loves warm bread out of the oven. In fact, he loves it so much the bread is almost always cut too quickly. One of the best parts of this bread is how quickly it can be prepared. I frequently don’t start his bread until 2 1/2 hours before dinner. If you bake bread you know that is very little time compared to most homemade bread recipes.

This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe that was on a bag of organic whole wheat flour. The original used dairy milk and cracked rye. I have substituted almond milk and millet. I also added a little agave to give the yeast a little something to eat since the almond milk is a lower in sugar than dairy milk.

If you like full flavored whole grain breads you will like this recipe. It is a little dense but full of whole grain flavor. We like the added texture the bread has from the bulgur and millet. This bread makes a great sandwich, or toast for breakfast. It also makes nice salad croutons if you can’t eat it all in a few days. I have even used this to make breadcrumbs when it has become a little stale.

Two Whole Grain Bread (Wheat and Millet)
Makes 2 pound loaf – assumes 12 servings below

Ingredients:

¼ cup of millet
¼ cup of bulgur
2 cups of filtered water to cook the millet and bulgur
2 cups of unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon of active dry yeast (a package is 2-1/4 teaspoons)
¼ teaspoon of agave (to give the yeast something to eat)
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
4 ½ cups of whole wheat flour (or a mixture of whole wheat and sprouted whole wheat flours)

Directions:

Put millet and bulgur in a saucepan with a lid. Cover with 2 cups of filtered water and bring the water to a boil then turn off the heat. Let the grains sit in the hot water (covered) for 15 minutes. Then drain the grains of the excess water and allow the grains to cool to body temperature.

Warm the almond milk to between 100 and 110 degrees (I use the microwave). Add the yeast and agave to the almond milk and let stand at least 10 minutes for the yeast to activate (begin to bubble and grow).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Add the yeast mixture, flour and salt to a bowl large enough to knead the bread. When the dough comes together add the cooled grains and knead them into the dough. Continue to knead until the dough begins to change texture. This bread dough is wetter than most bread dough. Don’t think you messed it up if it is stickier than normal, which is how this dough is supposed to be.

Move the dough to a greased 2 pound loaf pan and allow to rise until the dough is approximately ½ inch above the top of the pan. This will take about 30 minutes in a draft free location. I place my bread dough in the microwave to rise to avoid drafts (and nosey cats).

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 200 degrees. Place on a wire rack to cool. It is best if you don’t cut the loaf until the bread has cooled at least 30 minutes or it impacts the texture. At our house we are lucky to make 15 minutes before the bread is cut, and it doesn’t seem to suffer too much. Or at least not enough for my husband to want to wait the extra 15 minutes.

Nutritional Information (assuming 12 servings):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 187.89
Calories From Fat (7%) - 13.85

Total Fat - 1.6g
Saturated Fat - 0.19g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 185.12mg
Potassium - 254mg
Total Carbohydrates - 38.62g
Fiber - 6.75g
Sugar - 0.2g
Protein - 7.53g

Comments:

This bread is very quick and easy to make and yet full of whole grain flavor. I tend to make this bread when my husband wants loaf bread instead of flat bread like focaccia. You can vary the grains you use in this bread. I have made this bread with all millet or bulgur, amaranth and quinoa or a combination that adds up to ½ cup of grain.

Middle Eastern Style Cold Millet and Fruit Salad

We love Middle Eastern food in our house. Today’s salad is not traditional, but is inspired by the flavors that we enjoy. I wanted something Middle Eastern and dreamed this up after tasting the dressing. The pomegranate molasses and ras el hanout seem to be perfect with fruit today to me.

I used millet because it is a healthy whole grain that is packed with niacin and magnesium. Most of the other ingredients are traditional Middle Eastern flavors, except the apple, which I added for crunch. Those of you who know me know how I strive for textural variation in my dishes.

It is difficult to describe the taste of this salad. It is sweet and tangy from the pomegranate molasses, which is very prominent in this dish. It is also sweet from the dried fruit. The lemon juice keeps the salad from being overly sweet. The apple and pistachio give the salad crunch. The mint provides a fresh quality to the salad. The ras el hanout gives the salad a big punch of flavor attitude.

Middle Eastern Style Cold Millet and Fruit Salad
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup of millet
2 ½ cups of water

dressing:
zest and juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses
2 teaspoons of ras el hanout

salad add-ins:
1 firm apple, finely diced
12 dried apricots, sliced
8 dried figs, sliced
¼ cup of pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup of fresh mint, finely chopped

Directions:

Put millet and water in a pot with a lid. When the millet comes to a boil cover the pan and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes then allow to stand for 10 minutes so that the water can finish absorbing.

Put millet into dressing while it is still hot to encourage it to absorb more flavor. Cool the salad before adding the fruit.

Incorporate the fruit, nut and mint evenly into the salad and serve cold.

Comments:

This salad improves with time as the flavors marry. I like to include this for lunch with a green salad.

Millet and Raw Asparagus Salad

We eat a lot of salads in our house. I am always looking for new ways to add vegetables to our diet. Asparagus is something that we eat a lot in the spring. Typically we eat our asparagus lightly cooked. Today I wanted to try something with raw asparagus that became the starting point for this salad. As usual I wanted the salad to be filled with healthful ingredients. I have outlined the benefits of the major salad ingredients below.

Millet is a whole grain that is a good source of vitamin K and magnesium. Vitamin K is necessary for normal blood clotting. Magnesium has been shown to lower high blood pressure and to reduce the severity of asthma and the frequency of migraine headaches.

Asparagus is high in folate, which is essential for cardiovascular health. Asparagus also contains inulin, which the human body cannot digest but the good bacterium in our digestive tracts does. When the good bacteria in our digest system thrives there is less room for the bad bacteria.

The raw red onion is high in chromium that helps the body to respond appropriately to insulin. Regular consumption of onion has been shown to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol. The antioxidant quercitin that is found in raw red onion has been shown to halt the growth of tumors in animals. A number of studies have also shown that those populations that consume the most onions also exhibit a lower incidence of all types of cancer.

This salad incorporates a number of healthful ingredients and tastes great too. This middle eastern inspired salad may become a regular on your spring table.

Millet and Raw Asparagus Salad
makes 6 dinner servings

Ingredients:

1 cup of millet
2 ½ cups of water
¼ teaspoon of salt
½ red onion, diced finely (approximately ¼ inch)
12 ounces fresh asparagus, but into 1/8 inch rounds
zest and juice of two lemons
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon of harissa
1 teaspoon of sumac

Optional Ingredients:

¼ cup olives, diced
¼ cup fresh parsley, minced

Directions:

Combine millet, water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Then turn off heat and allow millet to stand undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, Harissa, and sumac and stir to combine. Add diced onion and asparagus to the dressing and toss to coat. Add cooked millet to dressed vegetables and toss to coat. If you choose you can add diced olive and parsley at this point in the recipe. Stir salad to evenly distribute these into the mix. Store salad in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Serve cold over field greens or mesclun mix. If desired garnish with chopped olives and minced parsley.

Comments:

This salad is lemony and fresh. It has a hint of heat in the background. If you like heat you can safely double the amount of harissa in the recipe. If you don’t eat raw asparagus you should give this salad a try. I love the slightly crunchy texture of the asparagus and raw onion that is contrasted to the softness of the cooked millet. The cold salad is a nice counterpoint to the heat from the harissa in the background. Next time I may add chopped walnuts to this salad for a little additional texture.