Healthy Recipes with Millet

Millet is not often found in pantries in the West.  There are a lot of species of grains that can be classified this way, but in general, they mostly contain round seeds between 1 and 2 mm in diameter and belong to the grass family Poaceae.  They are characterized by their high protein content, and in African and Asiatic countries millet has been in the diet for millennia.  Certain products like beer or bread have also been derived from it.  Interestingly enough, it seems like millet has been in Asiatic diets longer than rice, which is now the most important grain for that continent.

One extremely interesting fact about millet, especially for Western countries that have a portion of their population suffering from gluten intolerance, is that these grains are generally gluten free.  This means that individuals with Celiac diseases can make delicious breads with this flour.  Cooked millet could be a good source of antioxidants and minerals, like magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.  One cup of this food can provide 19%, 17%, and 11%, respectively, of your daily needs.  To cook millet, you’ll need about two and a half cups of water for each cup of grain.  It has become increasingly more popular, however, to use millet flour to prepare dishes, because of the previously mentioned reasons.  I hope you have the opportunity to become familiar with millet, and can incorporate it into your diet.  Not only will this satisfy your curiosity, but it can also open up another source of nutrients.  To help motivate you even more, I’m going to give you a few recipes that I hope will be useful while becoming familiar with millet.

Millet Pie Recipe

Ingedients:

• 1 c. cooked millet
• 1 c. cooked rice
• 1 egg
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 carrot
• 1 zucchini
• ¼ onion
• ½ stalk of celery
• 300 grams feta cheese
• 400 grams pie dough

Directions:

1. Add the cooked millet, cooked rice and egg into a bowl and mix well.  Season with a bit of salt and pepper to add a little more flavor, then set aside.
2. Dice the carrot into small cubes, along with the zucchini and celery.
3. Thinly dice the onion.
4. Sauté the onion and celery until soft, then add the carrot.  Sauté for a few more minutes.
5. Add the zucchini and cook for a few more minutes, until soft.  Then season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add the vegetables to the rice and millet mixture.
7. Dice the feta cheese into small cubes, or crumble the cheese and blend it into the millet filling mixture.
8. Spread the tart/pastry dough over the pan.
9. Add the millet and rice mixture.  Bake for 15 minutes at 180?C until the dough is firm and the millet is compact.

Chocolate Millet Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 c. millet flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 banana
• ½ Tbsp. sugar-free cocoa
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable or coconut oil
• ½ c. water
• 2 egg whites

Directions:

1. Add the dry ingredients in a bowl: the millet flour, baking powder, salt and sugar-free cocoa.
2. Puree the banana in a cup and add the sugar, water, and egg whites.  Stir until well mixed.
3. Add the oil and continue stirring.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until forming a thick and uniform dough.
5. Allow to set for 20 to 30 minutes in the fridge.
6. Heat a non-stick skillet and pour the mixture into pancake size rounds.
7. Cook for approximately 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
8. Serve the pancakes with honey and fresh fruit.
9. You can also prepare the pancake batter in the blender if you’d like to save time.

Lacto-ovo-vegetarian Millet Hamburgers

Ingredients:

• 3 c. water
• 1 c. millet
• ½ c. corn starch
• ½ onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 ½ stalks of celery
• 1 tsp. thyme
• ¼ tsp. cumin
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Add the water to a pot and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, add the millet and cook on medium heat until soft.  This could take approximately 30 minutes, but it’s important that you do not overcook it.
2. Grate the vegetables: the onion, carrot and celery.  If you don’t want to grate them, you could also dice them very thin. 
3. Mix the cooked millet with the grated vegetables, and mix all ingredients perfectly.
4. Add the powdered thyme, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the egg, and blend until creating a thick texture than can easily be squeezed together
6. Shape the hamburgers with your hands to the size you like, and place in a hot frying pan with oil, to make each side golden.
7. Serve the hamburgers however you like.

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