Prose millet

Get special kind of millet i.e prose millet in Green Growth basket  

Prose millet is an ancient seed and mostly grown in western part of Nepal. That should change though since millet is very healthy. It is not only gluten-free but it’s packed with iron, calcium and vitamins. It’s also delicious with a light, nutty flavor and extremely versatile. Millet can be used in many ways including for breakfast and dessert. Whether you are gluten-free or not, increasing your intake of whole grains is always a good idea.

        Advantages

1. Beneficial in anti-ageing
2. Beneficial for nervous system 
3. Beneficial in preventing pellagra and other Niacin dependent conditions
4. Useful for strengthening bones
5. Beneficial in preventing cardiac diseases

         source: Health benefits of prose millet

If you have never tried millet before, here are some ideas that will make you want to add it to your diet:

1. Basic Cooking

Cooking up a pot of millet is not so different than cooking rice. One cup of raw millet makes over 3 cups of cooked millet. In a medium-sized saucepan, add 1 cup of raw millet. Turn the heat to medium and allow the millet to toast for 5 minutes or until the grains are golden brown and smell toasty. Add 2 cups of water or vegetable broth and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir and bring the water to a rapid boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and let the millet simmer for 15-20 minutes until the water is absorbed. Do NOT keep opening the pot to check on it. When it looks like most of the water is gone, remove the pot from the heat and let stand for another 10 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the millet with a fork. Taste for any seasoning adjustments and add a bit of vegan butter, if desired. Serve while warm and fluffy. 

2. Breakfast Porridge

One of the most common ways to eat millet is as breakfast cereal or porridge. To make it creamy instead of fluffy, simply cook the millet in more water. It will yield a bit more this way, about 4 cups. To make a Simple Millet Hot Cereal: Toast 1 cup raw millet in a saucepan for 5 minutes or until toasty and golden brown. Add 2 ½ cups boiling water, stir, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and let stand for another 10 minutes. Add brown sugar, maple syrup, or fresh fruit and serve. 

3. Breakfast for Dinner

There is a popular hot breakfast dish from South India called upma. It’s usually made with semolina called rava but I want mine to be gluten-free so I use millet. I also add lots of veggies which makes it a hearty dish suitable for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The veggies – I use different ones each time – and millet are cooked with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fresh ginger, garlic, green chiles and curry powder for a flavor-packed, healthy meal. To make my Savory Millet Upma: in a deep skillet or saute pan that has a lid toast 1 ½ cups raw millet over medium heat until the seeds just start to brown. Remove from the heat and set aside. Heat 2 Tbs. vegetable oil over medium heat. Add 1 ½ tsp. mustard seeds and 1 ½ tsp. cumin seeds. Let cook for 1 minute or until they just start to pop. Add 2 tsp. fresh minced ginger and 3 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add 2 green chiles and 1 Tbs. curry powder. Cook until the aromatics are fragrant. Mix in 1 diced onion and toss to coat in the spices. Cook the onions for 3 minutes until softened a bit. Add 1 diced bell pepper, 1 cup of diced carrots and 4 diced red potatoes. Toss to mix all the veggies and cook for 6 minutes. Add 1 cup chopped broccoli florets, 1 diced yellow squash and 3 chopped plum tomatoes. Season the veggies with kosher salt to taste and cook for another 4 minutes.

Add the toasted millet to the pan along with 3 cups water or vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, stir, cover the pot and let cook until the water is absorbed, about 25-30 minutes. When all the water is gone, remove from the heat and let stand, covered, 10 more minutes. Top with a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice and mix in 3 Tbs. fresh chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve while hot. Garnish with extra cilantro or parsley. For another millet dish filled with veggies, try this Mediterranean Spartan Strength Millet which has carrots, zucchini, eggplant, radishes and hazelnuts.

4. Healthy Appetizers

If you follow all my articles and recipes, you know that I will make fries out of anything! Well, millet is no exception. When millet is cooked to be a thick, creamy porridge, it is very similar to polenta and that means it is amenable to being turned into fries. In fact, it prefers to be turned into fries. I know, it tells me so. J To make Baked Millet Fries: Boil 2 ½ cups of water in a saucepan and add 1 cup of raw millet and a pinch of salt. Stir, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and let stand for another 10 minutes. Mix in ¼ cup nutritional yeast or vegan grated parmesan, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. paprika, and salt and black pepper to taste. Transfer the millet porridge to a shallow baking dish that has been oiled and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate from 2 hours to overnight until it hardens completely and you can slice it. Then slice the millet into strips resembling fries.

Place the strips onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in a single layer. In a small bowl, mix together 1 tsp. each of garlic powder, paprika and chile powder (or your favorite spices). Spray the millet strips with cooking oil and sprinkle with the spice mix. Turn the strips over and repeat on the other side. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until the strips appear golden brown. Flip them and continue to bake for 10-15 more minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and serve immediately with your favorite dip or condiment such as vegan ranch dressing. Check out 10 Healthier Ways to Make Fries and Chips for more healthy starters and snacks.

 5. In Place of Other Grains

Millet is capable of doing the job of pretty much any other grain. For example, tabbouleh is usually made with bulgur but a gluten-free version can be made with millet. It’s delicious by itself or served with your favorite Mediterranean dishes. The different colored vegetables give it a rainbow appearance. And you know your food is healthy when it has all the colors of a rainbow. To make my Rainbow Millet Tabbouleh: First get the millet cooking. It takes about 20 minutes and during that time, the rest of the ingredients can be prepped and ready to go. Add 1 cup millet into a medium saucepan and add 2 cups of broth or water (or a combination of both). Add a pinch of salt, cover the pot and over a medium-high heat, bring it to a boil. Then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes until the millet is fluffy.

While the millet is cooking, get all the veggies and herbs seeded and chopped up. Seed and/or chop 2 cucumbers, 3 plum tomatoes, 1 yellow bell pepper, 5 scallions, 1 cup fresh parsley and ½ cup fresh mint. When it’s ready, transfer the millet to a large bowl and let it cool. To the bowl of fluffy millet, add the cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper and scallions. Add the parsley and mint and toss well. Dress the tabbouleh with 3 Tbs. olive oil, 3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp. kosher salt and ¼ tsp. black pepper and mix it well. Taste to see if any adjustments are necessary. You should be able to taste the fluffiness of the millet, the crunch of the veggies, the freshness of the mint and the brightness of the lemon. Refrigerate until ready to serve. You can also try replacing the barley with millet in this Veggie Tabbouleh recipe.

6. Stuff Something

Stuffed food are always fun to eat as well as satisfying. You can stuff tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, artichokes and so many other foods. Winter squash is the perfect vessel for my Kale, Apple, Parsnip and Millet Stuffed Squash. Cut the tips off the bottoms of the squash so they can sit level. Cut the squash cross-wise in halves, giving you two bowl-shaped pieces. Scoop out the middles with the seeds and set aside. In a skillet, saute 3 chopped scallions, 2 minced garlic cloves, and a seeded and finely chopped red chile pepper. Add a chopped bell pepper, a chopped parsnip and 2 small, chopped apples. Cook until the veggies are softened, about 7 minutes. Add 1 tsp. dried sage, 1 tsp. Herbes de Provence and kosher salt and pepper to taste. Wilt a bunch of chopped kale into the pan. Turn off the heat and add 1 cup cooked millet to the pan. Mix everything well. Place the squash halves into an oiled baking dish. Generously fill each squash with stuffing, cover the baking dish and bake for 1 hour until the squash is tender. Serve warm.