TIP OF THE DAY: Millet, A Gluten Free Whole Grain

September 24, 2014 at 8:33 am · Filed under Gluten-Free, Recipes, Rice-Beans-Grains-Seeds, Tip Of The Day

Today’s tip comes from Bob’s Red Mill, where there’s always something new and delicious to discover. Our recent discovery: millet, a gluten free, ancient whole grain.

Easily used as a replacement for rice and bulgur wheat with millet in a salad with dates and pistachio to benefit from the whole grain, gluten free and high protein goodness. The nutty sweet flavor is an added bonus!

Millet, an ancient grain, was first farmed some 10,000 years ago in East Asia. A staple crop in Asia and Africa—then and now—it was revered as one of five sacred crops in ancient China. It’s mentioned in the Old Testament, the writings of Herodotus and the journals of Marco Polo.

Millet grows well in poor, droughty and infertile soils, and are more reliable than most other grain crops under these conditions.

It fell out of fashion in the cuisines of America and Europe, but it’s always been available in health food stores. A small, round, yellow seed, you also find it in natural food stores like Whole Foods Market, and in many general grocery stores.

Millet has a mild, sweet flavor and cooks quickly, making it a tasty, convenient whole grain for sides, salads and stir fries. Its light flavor enables it to be prepared as a sweet or savory recipe. In addition to fiber, it’s packed with B vitamins, iron, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus.

The most widely cultivated species include, in order:

Millet, a grain to discover. Photo courtesy Bob’s Red Mill.

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), what you’re most likely to find in the U.S.

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica)

Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum), also called broom corn millet, common millet, hog millet and white millet)

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana)

Easy Ways To Enjoy Millet

Breakfast: Substitute millet for a bowl of oatmeal; bake raw millet seeds into breads and muffins for a healthful crunch.

Salad: Substitute millet in any grain salad; add a scoop as a garnish for a green salad or cooked vegetables.

Side: Serve millet with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh-cracked pepper and an optional sprinkle of grated Parmesan. We also enjoyed a side of millet, chopped dates and pistachio nuts.

millet-spring-roll-salad-bobsredmill-230L

Millet salad: Serve it as a side or top with a
grilled protein. Photo courtesy Bob’s Red Mill.

RECIPE: MILLET STIR-FRY

Use this recipe from Bob’s Red Mill to turn a simple stir-fry into something special, replacing rice with millet. You can add an optional protein (chicken, tofu, etc.).

Ingredients For 4 Servings

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup millet

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup sliced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 large head of broccoli, chopped

1 cup sliced carrot

5 ounces canned water chestnuts

1/4 cup cashew pieces

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preparation

1. BRING water and salt to a boil in a pot. Add millet and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 35-40 minutes.

2. COMBINE soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and cornstarch. Set aside

3. HEAT oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; cook for 1 minute. Add broccoli, carrots and water chestnuts. Cook until vegetables are al dente to tender, depending on preference, 7-10 minutes. Add millet and cashews.

4. POUR soy sauce mix over the stir-fry and cook until the sauce is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

MORE MILLET RECIPES

Here are three delicious recipes from Bob’s Red Mill:

Millet Salad, a combination of grain and crunchy veggies (recipe)

Sweet Millet Congee with apples and bacon, for breakfast (recipe)

Spinach and Lemon Millet Arancini, fun party fare (recipe)

Let us know what you think of millet!

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