This recipe was borne out of necessity. I had very little in the refrigerator and a dinner date (with my husband, of course!) breathing down my neck. From the refrigerator I scared up a zucchini, cherry tomatoes, lemon, cilantro and parsley. I grabbed an onion and some garlic (because I always grab an onion and some garlic): it was starting to feel like the beginnings of a Middle Eastern kind of dish… But I needed a starch or grain of some kind to pull it all together. I pondered the quinoa in a jar on my pantry shelf and rejected it. Amaranth? Nope. Couscous? Nah. Hmmm, what about that neglected jar of millet? That felt just about right – and we were off. Paired with steamed veggies, spicy sautéed greens, and/or a more substantial “main,” this warm salad brightens up dinner or lunch.
I made this a meal by serving it with easy and yummy Falafel With A Twist from Oh She Glows and the wonderful (also quite easy!) Puffy Restaurant-Style Naan from Vegan Richa’s Indian Kitchen. If you make Richa’s recipe, definitely sprinkle on the nigella seeds – they are so perfect on this bread.
Warm Millet Salad
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 35
Description
A quick, easy and flavorful side or main dish when served with falafel or marinated, baked tofu. No added oil here – and gluten-free, too!
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 of a small onion, finely chopped
- 1–2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup millet
- 1 medium-sized zucchini, cut into chunks
- juice + zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, left whole or cut in half
- 1 tbsp. tahini
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
- pinch ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add a splash of water (or broth) and sauté garlic and onion over medium heat in a saucepan until onion is translucent. Stir in the millet and cook for another minute or two. Add the vegetable broth and zucchini, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat. Cover the pan and simmer the millet for about 25 minutes, or until tender but not mushy.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the tahini and the remaining ingredients. Serve with additional lemon, sliced cucumbers, and warm pita bread.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
- Calories: 342
- Sugar: 7
- Sodium: 928
- Fat: 11
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Protein: 11
- Cholesterol: 0
Wow, yum! Can’t wait to give this a try sometime! 🙂
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Date night or solo that looks like a perfect meal to me. I could eat that whole dish of falafel too
I’ve never used millet as the only grain in a recipe, just sprouted some for a loaf of bread.
Would it work at room temp if I took a bowl on the road with me?
It would make a fantastic on-the-road meal, Angela!
Millet is one of my favorite <3 So good and soft and fluffy, haha!
I so rarely think of it! I’ve used it mostly when baking bread, but it really is a versatile grain.
What a beautiful meal!! I would love to come over for dinner…;)
So yummy.. The best
Kel’s a lucky guy. 🙂
This all looks so delicious Annie and serving it with falafel, omg, I would devour all of that! Beautiful meal!
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Mmmmmmmmmmmmm,…a lovely combined dinner! Yum! Often, we cook lovely meals out of what we have in the pantry & in our fridge,…Yum!
You are excellent at that skill, Sophie – creating yummy dishes with what you have. I need to get better at it, but this dish really turned out well.
Ooh yes! x
This almost looks like scrambled eggs! I’m gonna try making this for breakfast 🙂 My husband and I have been on a low-carb diet for so long and I just feel gross. So I am transitioning to a vegan diet that is still lower-glycemic to keep my blood sugars in check….as well just learning that eating so much meat/dairy/eggs wastes SO MUCH water and natural resources!
You’re right! It does look like scrambled eggs :-)! Probably could be modified to have a more eggy/breakfast taste, too. Best of luck w/ your transition to a vegan/plant-based diet. It’s been such a wonderful lifestyle for me and my husband – no regrets!